Lakers' LeBron James Responds to Criticism of Memphis Comments in Video, 'What's Wrong With That?
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James clarified his viral remarks about the city of Memphis, Tennessee, and said he wasn't trying to criticize the city itself or its residents.
"Forty-one years old. There's two cities I do not like playing in right now. That's Milwaukee and that's Memphis," he told reporters Saturday. "... I don't like going home, either, s--t and I'm from there. People are ridiculous."
James added that "I'm not talking about the city, like the people in Memphis."
"I don't like staying at the Hyatt Centric. What's wrong with that?" he said.
Appearing on the Bob Does Sports YouTube show, James put Memphis squarely in his crosshairs and joked he might've had to request a trade before the 2003 NBA draft if the Grizzlies had won the lottery.
Basketball fans implicitly understand there are haves and have nots in the NBA. Franchises in certain markets are at a disadvantage for one reason or another and struggle to attract marquee talent.
And this is far from the first example of a big star making that implicit truth more explicit. James' suggestion that the Grizzlies should move to Nashville came after the Golden State Warriors' Draymond Green made the same point.
But LeBron's comments resonated far more because he's the single most recognizable player in the league.
The 22-time All-Star has also made his Akron, Ohio, roots such a large part of his overall story. Few would consider Akron to be a bustling metropolis.
In addition, James' response Saturday elides his remark about hypothetically executing a power play like Eli Manning and his family did before the 2004 NFL draft. Manning wound up on the New York Giants because he refused to play for the San Diego Chargers.
Intimating he never would've played for the Grizzlies goes beyond not liking the usual accommodations as a road player in Memphis.
The Lakers don't play the Grizzlies again this season, but James will be assured of having at least one more trip to Bluff City if he decides to play another season in the NBA.
No matter how much time passes before then, his comments about Memphis won't soon be forgotten.
