LeBron James: Is Hate Justified, or Is He Misunderstood?

LeBron James is as hated as someone who bounces an inflatable ball for a living could possibly be.  There isn’t a single NBA fan who doesn’t have a strong opinion one way or another on King James.  You either hate his guts, or you back him up like he’s your brother: There is no middle ground.

No one has a bigger ego in the world of sports. He is the greatest physical freak and narcissist in league history. James is the most hated athlete on the planet. and anyone with a fragment of intelligence at all can see the reason why. But the question is: Does he deserve that level of hate?

Kobe Bryant doesn’t believe so. In an interview with ESPN’s George Smith, Kobe was questioned about what he thought of the hostility shown towards LeBron throughout and following the postseason and he responded:

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“I think people need to lay off that kid. That’s what I think. I’ve gotten to know him pretty well playing with the Olympic team. I think people need to just back up off of him. Just let him play. Let him live his life. Let him make his decisions. Let him mature as a player.  It’s tough to be under the microscope like that all the time. So, I would like everybody to just kind of back off of him and let him play.”

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The rivalry has been a media creation, but regardless, Kobe and LeBron are the biggest rivals in the NBA. Even though they’ve met just twice, there’s noticeable tension between the LA Lakers and Miami Heat. Bryant has no reason to back him up, no connection other than the fact that they played together over one summer and technically, his brand would benefit from letting LeBron’s go down the toilet.

Despite that, Kobe stood behind him and he’s actually met the guy. Again, there are plenty of reasons to hate LeBron that have been mentioned thousands upon thousands of times, but there’s a certain level of hate that is overboard.

For example: In a song called Kings Betrayal which was written following "The Decision," the track disses James throughout and ends with the line, “So if you wonder, why no one wish you well, we wish you heat, we wish you Hell.”

Before hearing this line, I personally believed that though James was the most hated athlete around the globe, Michael Vick was the most hated person who happened to be an athlete. They may just be on the same level though, and that’s unfortunate.

Yes, the hate is justified, but to a certain extent and when that hate crosses the line to hating LeBron, not as a player, but as a person, how far it goes from there shows exactly how much LeBron is misunderstood.

David Daniels is an NFL Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report and a Syndicated Writer. Follow him on Twitter.