LeBron James and Delonte West Revisit the Dark Side of "Yo Mama" Jokes

When I attended high school one of the more popular lunch time activities consisted of assembling into small groups and playing a game which involved making as many ridiculous statements about your opponent's mother as you could.

Everyone is familiar with "Yo mama" jokes, and they reached such a height of popularity that MTV actually made a show which turned the game of trading maternal insults into a contest.

The game is actually derived from the much older game of the "Dozens," which operates on the same principles except the subjects of the insults are the participants, rather than their mothers.

Just sitting here and thinking about it, several of the funnier "yo mama" jokes come to mind, and you may have heard some of them yourself.

"Yo mama is so skinny, she can hang-glide on a Dorito."

"Yo mama is so big, she jumped in the air and got stuck."

"Yo mama is so ugly, when she turns the lights off, the dark runs away."

There are thousands more examples of this type of joke, and the humor is found in the absurd nature of the jokes themselves. It's understood the statements are false, so the more preposterous the premise, the bigger the laughs will be.

But there is another side to this tale, and the saga brewing between Cleveland Cavaliers' players LeBron James and Delonte West is beginning to resemble an example of a "yo mama" joke gone terribly wrong.

Reports have surfaced which say West was engaged in an intimate affair with James' mother Gloria, and James even approached West about the situation and he turned an indifferent shoulder to James.

James is understandably upset about the situation, especially since it has now been exposed to the public's eye. His overall reaction is nothing less than what you would expect if you were in his position.

I've had friends with beautiful mothers, and even if I was afforded the opportunity to engage in activities similar to West, I would probably still pass because I live by a rule which says a friend's mom is off-limits.

But on the other hand, there are entire web-sites devoted to "hot moms," and due to Gloria's association with her son, she certainly fits the bill, so West's alleged entanglement with her is no real surprise.

Several internet rumors mentioned by ESPN say that James was made aware of West's indiscretions before Game Four of the Cavaliers' series with the Boston Celtics, and James played the remainder of the series under that dark cloud of information.

I'm not sure how much of this story is true, but once more light is shed on the issue, it could justifiably be the answer to James' mystifying performance in Game Five of the Celtics' series.

The fact someone you consider your friend is having an affair with your mom is bad enough, but when you are James and the spotlight is forever pointing in your direction, that makes it even worse.

West's refusal to be worried by James' disapproval of the relationship only creates more tension for the city of Cleveland, a town bracing for the possible loss of their native son to free agency.

The loss in the conference semifinals had already thrown the franchise's morale into a tailspin, and a new scandal has the potential to be the type of event which could send James packing.

James' mother has an admitted checkered past and her struggles have been well documented, but her ability to raise James into the figure he is today should be applauded.

But she does bear responsibility in this current situation, and her behavior will still reflect directly on LeBron, so it would seem she would have better judgement when thinking about dating her son's teammates.

I wonder how James feels about the supposed friendship he had forged with West, and how his mother's betrayal may be reason enough for James to shun the place where his legend began.

Before this story broke, I had the impression that James would give Cleveland one more shot by signing a three-year deal, and basing any future decisions on the ability of Cavaliers' management to surround him with real talent.

Now any decision James makes will likely include some insight on West and his mother's situation, and the endless slew of "yo mama" jokes which are sure to ensue shortly, and may have began already.

But West's indiscretion is much worse than the typical "yo mama" joke, because it's a lot less humorous when the subject matter has a chance of being real.