LeBron James: 10 Moves He Can Make To Reverse Race Card Mess
LeBron is again in the news, and again it has very little to do with basketball.
His manager, Maverick Carter, state that "[race] definitely played a role in some of the stuff coming out of the media, things that were written for sure."
LeBron somewhat agreed with Carter, telling CNN's Soledad O'Brien that "I think so at times....It's always, you know, a race factor."
There is no right or wrong answer here. It's impossible to determine the level of racism or boil down the entire situation to a few simply statements. Race is probably the most complicated social issue in America.
But how he moves on from this (and how the media and the public do as well) will be very interesting.
Here are 10 possible moves (independent of one another) that he might make in the coming weeks and months.
No. 10: Clarify What He Means
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Part of the problem with this situation is that LeBron “played the race card.” But that was about it. He didn’t explain his feelings much further. Maybe race was a factor or maybe it was just a factor in his mind.
No one can really be that upset about what he said. But he seems to have been pretty “quick to use the race card.” If he gives a more expansive explanation, perhaps people will understand better why he said race was a factor. They may not agree with him, but perhaps his answer can open a few eyes.
And isn't that part of the goal here: why else did Maverick Carter and James himself address this issue.
No. 9: Backtrack Even More
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He’s already fallen on the sword for Maverick Carter a bit, by tempering Carter’s words. He was not nearly as vehement about the issue as Carter was.
And when asked about the growing controversy, last Thursday he said "I think people are looking too far into it...but at the same time, sometimes it does play a part in it. I've said what I had to say, and I'll continue to move on."
Now he’s never going to apologize for what he said. And he shouldn’t have to. He has a right to his opinion and is the only one who has to deal with the backlash of “The Decision.”
But perhaps he can admit that he chose the wrong time and venue to open the debate to type discussion. It’s hard for a good public discourse when only snippets of his interview are run by every media outlet.
No. 8: Choose Interviews More Carefully
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To many people, LeBron is persona non grata in practically every part of the country outside of South Florida. Maybe even in South Florida.
Fans and observers who now hate him solely for leaving Cleveland are the too self-righteous.
However, anyone who has started to dislike LeBron for THE WAY he left Cleveland have a valid point.
“The Decision” was the worst “look at me” moment of LeBron’s career. And every time he gets in front of the camera now, we are reminded of that.
Going on CNN with Soledad O'Brien is naturally going to be a much different interview than a post-gamer with Marv Albert or crazy-clothes wearing Craig Sager. Of course, LeBron has the right to speak publicly about important social issues. But he might have picked a bad time to do so.
There are still some people out there who are still blinded by the off-putting nature of "The Decision." And going on television to address something someone else (Carter) said about you and you're career takes some of the weight off of any major social commentary you may have.
No. 7: Part With His Advisors
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Whoever thought that “The Decision” was a good idea woefully misread this situation. You’ve got to figure that it was someone inside Camp LeBron. And that mistake has done terrible damage to his image.
But the fact that his manager would speak to the public about the reaction to his decision shows more poor judgment. What did Maverick Carter expect would be the reaction to his comments? What did he hope to gain from that interview?
LeBron felt compelled to stand up for his manager and not openly say he was wrong. On some level, LeBron deserves credit for that. But his Carter put James in a terrible position. Of course he would be asked to clarify the comment.
No. 6: Sit Down With Charles Barkley
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This one will probably happen ASAP. Barkley and LeBron have gone back and forth on this free agency issue, through the media, for almost two years now.
And recently Chuck called “The Decision” “stupid” and seemed to strongly disagree with LeBron on the issue of whether or not race factored into the negative publicity James is enduring today.
Barkely may have his faults but he can be incredibly insightful and won’t hold back just because he’s on TNT. A sit-down between the two might lead to a fairly constructive debate.
No. 5: Stand By What He Said
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James might just be better off accepting the fact that race is such a complicated issue in America. Can anything he says or does really change the minds of the people who agree with him? Disagree with him?
It’s not necessarily combative to say “this is what I believe. You don’t know me and what I’ve had to deal with since July. I respect your decision to disagree with me, now respect mine to disagree with you.”
That might be the easiest way to end the argument. Sure it won’t solve anything, but it should keep it from escalating and both opinions just being rehashed over and over again.
No. 4: End All the Theatrics
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Aside from his decision to do “the Decision” everything about the LeBron free-agent situation seemed kind of sketchy. For over two years, he hinted at returning, then hinted at “testing the waters.”
Then he talked about “his team” making the decision once the season ended: not the Cavaliers but his many counselors. By the time the talk of a “free agent summit”—Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, Dirk Nowitski, Joe Johnson and Amare Stoudamire—many people were a bit annoyed by all the theatrics.
Even during the decision, James was so elusive and talked about how he didn’t even make up his mind until that morning. And after signing his deal, there was that gaudy rally to show off the new look Heat. Seemed a bit excessive. Why so much drama?
This won’t necessarily put out the fire of “playing the race card.” But it would help to rehab LeBron’s image a bit. LeBron’s off-the-court plays have become more of a lightning rod than his on-the-court plays. That’s never a good thing for an active, star professional athlete.
No. 3: Mend Fences With the Cavaliers
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Kobe and Shaq seemed to set aside their rift so why can’t Cavaliers Owner Dan Gilbert and LeBron James? James doesn’t have to apologize to the city of Cleveland or the Cavaliers owner for leaving to play for Miami. Again, it’s the fact that he went on national TV to do so that irks so many people.
LeBron hasn’t exactly been graceful in his departure but neither were the Cavs. If anything, Dan Gilbert owes LeBron an apology for his outlandish comments about James “quitting” late in the season.
Both sides are probably to blame here but, especially for LeBron, a long-standing feud will do nothing to resurrect his once pristine image.
No. 2: Win an NBA Championship
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The only way LeBron justifies the basketball-move part of “the Decision” is to win. And no matter how many regular season games, MVPs, or playoff series James wins, no one is going to be impressed until he wins a title.
It won’t undo the current controversy over his “playing the race card.” But it will greatly overshadow it.
No. 1: Nothing
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Whatever LeBron seems to touch turns to, well, whatever the opposite of gold is. In truth, there’s really not much he can DO to turn this around. The anti-Lebron sentiment around the nation is at it’s peak. Without him actually playing basketball, he is currently a sitting duck.
He can’t tally a triple-double or 60 points right now to change the subject. Perhaps he's started down the path of abstinence when he said "I've said what I had to say, and I'll continue to move on."
