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LeBron James: Is He Officially the Most Arrogant Player in Sports?
August 17, 2010
In the most recent edition of GQ is a LeBron James interview, where the Miami Heat star had some perplexing comments regarding his time in Cleveland.
James admitted that he understood that a lot of Cleveland fans would be hurt by his decision, but that Cavs owner Dan Gilbert's letter to LeBron after "The Decision" gives him a lot of motivation for when the Heat play his former team. That's understandable.
But James also added that growing up in Akron (which is 40 miles away from Cleveland), his friends and him actually hated Cleveland growing up.
Translation: I don't owe anything to Cleveland; it's not really my home.
LeBron went on to say that Cleveland fans were "awesome", followed by quite possibly the most arrogant comment I have ever heard from a player so far detached from reality.
"But I mean, even my family gets spoiled at times watching me doing things that I do, on and off the court."
Even his family is spoiled by his presence.
So let me get this straight, LeBron actually hates Cleveland, and the fans too are spoiled for what he gave them. Which, at the end of the day, was no NBA championships.
LeBron has quickly gone from one of the NBA's favorite players, to a player who seems to not care at all about his image anymore. Either that, or he's living so far in LeBronLand that he doesn't know how these things sound to common folk.
He has rationalized his decision to go to Miami in so many ways that are just completely off-putting to the rest of the world.
Dan Gilbert's letter proved to LeBron that he made a good decision to bring his play to South Beach, despite not even telling his team before "The Decision" coverage.
He admits that growing up in Akron, he hated Cleveland, and "there's a lot of people in Cleveland we [LeBron and his crew] still hate today". In other words, Ohio isn't where his allegiances lie, just Akron.
He states that people, even his family, are spoiled by his play. Spoiled. Yet, you don't hear Kobe Bryant saying he's spoiled Lakers' fans by winning five NBA Championships.
Additionally, LeBron is making a list of all of his haters, and partying in nightclubs in Las Vegas like he is royalty (and then presumably getting ESPN to pull the story because it made him look bad).
At the end of the day, LeBron James has become the most arrogant player, quite possibly, in all of sports. His stardom has gone so far to his head that he is even stating in interviews that his play spoils his family. Unreal.
I kind of feel bad for LeBron. His games have been televised since high school, and he has been widely regarded as one of the best players in basketball. So maybe we can't blame him for having a big head.
But, is it even justified? I mean, he hasn't even won a ring yet.
Hopefully, sooner rather than later, someone in LeBron's inner circle realizes that he is tarnishing his image, and he acquires some humility. If not, he may soon be one of the most hated players in the NBA.