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Subject: Another side of Lebron James Posted by: YOUNGBUCK - [331381323] Mon, Dec 16, 2002, 03:33 THE OHIO HOTSHOT, a 6-foot-7 guard/forward, is flaunting his celebrity status and it all seems quite sickening. He’s just in high school for crying out loud. Perhaps you’ve heard of him as LeBron James, high school player of the year — the guy who made a national TV appearance Thursday. He is expected to be the first pick in the 2003 NBA draft. He is called the next Jordan. He handles the ball, dribbles it, shoots it, stuffs it, rebounds it, perhaps even does needlework with it because he is so gifted. Now we should call him King James. He is a rising senior, attends high school in Akron, Ohio, and his basketball team commands appearance fees upwards of $15,000 for its games because everyone wants to see him play. And what has this adoration produced? Judge for yourself. King James seems to be on the verge of promoting his own clothing line. At one camp he wore a shirt with a crown on it and called it “King James.” Snickered that God left this shirt in his hotel room. The kid wasn’t serious, but why be so silly? King James, who has no intention of going to college, was asked last week about taking recruiting visits to five college campuses his senior season in high school. He says he will go because they are free and he wants to travel. King James is 6-foot-7, but the height of his arrogance can’t be measured. He wants to waste somebody’s time and money on a needless recruiting trip so he can be courted and fawned over. Duke and Kentucky, I bet, have turned their backs. In another sign of haughtiness, King James was scheduled to appear at a press conference at the adidas ABCD camp this summer. He was intentionally late. He boasts how he has media people waiting on him and he controls them. King James arrived at the two rival basketball camps held by adidas and Nike with an entourage. They must be flown everywhere. Their bags are carried; they arrive in style in a big car with a driver. Sure, the white tennis prodigies arrived with entourages for Wimbledon and the U.S. Open and no one fussed, but at least they had attained some measure of status in the pro game. According to one report, King James is already driving a Lincoln Navigator. Hmmm. He lives in a small apartment with his mother. Hmmm. Has he been corrupted already? You shake your head with pity. Just a teenager and already another athlete who takes himself too seriously. Don’t we have enough of those: Sammy Sosa, Shaq, Barry Bonds, Randy Johnson, Vince Carter, and on and on. “He hasn’t changed a little, he has changed a lot,” said Bob Gibbons, a high school recruiting analyst. “It’s all gotten out of control. I guess you could call him the ‘King James version of high school basketball.’ He is signing autographs and this has all gone from the sublime to the absurd. “The kid is talented, make no mistake. But you’ve got to be focused on getting better and improving. He’s focused on what he can get. When Michael Jordan came out of high school he was a hungry player. I question how hungry Lebron James is?” Perhaps this kid needs a taste of the NBA game right now with Kobe or Shaq or Vince Carter serving the first dish of humble pie. I can’t wait for this kid to get lost in a maze of screens and Caron Butler uses him like a rag on a dirty window. Eight months ago, LeBron James seemed like a high school athlete with some humility. He played for his school’s football team to help them win, even if there was significant risk of injury. It was all about school pride. A rival high school coach told me last fall that James refuses to shoot at times and prefers to be a playmaker and team guy. What happened? Every humble thought he once had looks like it has been replaced by swagger ... and garish clothes and diamond stud earrings … geez. I know why the handlers of Amare Stoudemire, the high school phenom from Orlando who was drafted by Phoenix, kept that child away from the spotlight. I don’t blame Stoudemire’s caretakers for limiting access and not responding to interview requests. Teenagers, most of them anyway, can’t handle the adoration. They end up looking like self-promoting brats. They end up looking self-absorbed like King James. Advertisement Maybe it’s the media’s fault for fueling the hype. At least we know King James has a sense of humor. He was invited to a press conference by adidas at the shoe company’s summer basketball camp and arrived wearing shoes by hated rival Nike. That’s fair. He showed up at the Nike press conference wearing adidas. Pretty cocky I would say. There’s no doubt his head seems to be swelling by the day. It’s just so sad. could this be just another lebron james hater? I say not. | |||||||
| 1 | WiddleAvi ID: 121153158 Mon, Dec 16, 2002, 09:12 | I think that whoever wrote that article is a little jealous that "King James" wil sign his name on a few papers next season and become a multi Millionaire. So what is he has his own clothing line that say King james ?? If someone gave me a navigator I would drive it too. It's not his fault his team gets paid $15g an appearance. It's not his fault the colleges are recruiting him. He may not go but whats wrong if he takes some time to visit just in case? Heck if the media wanted to talk to me I would make them wait hours. I'm betting that whoever wrote this was one of the people that had to wait for him when he was late. | ||||||
| 2 | clach ID: 4112529 Mon, Dec 16, 2002, 10:04 |
Lebron is a kid. We'll se how he'll react in the gold world of Nba, but the article don't give me great facts to let me think he'll be so arrogant. | ||||||
| 3 | Rand al'Thor ID: 83231216 Mon, Dec 16, 2002, 10:36 |
Thanks for posting that article yb. Lebron is going to go through alot of growing pains in the public eye. But if you've got big talent, you get big rewards. When he's making his billions he'll be able to afford expensive handlers who can help to cultivate his image. Every high school athletic star, at some level, experiences disproportionate degrees of adoration and praise. Even trivial local sports heroes get treated like demi-gods. I don't see why he shouldn't enjoy the courting of his talents, as long as he's cool about it. | ||||||
| 4 | Tree ID: 599393013 Mon, Dec 16, 2002, 13:33 |
i still think Al Bundy could have been one of the all-time greats if he hadn't suffered that career-ending injury... peace, Tree but at least he scored the winning TD in the high school state championship.... | ||||||
| 5 | darkside Leader ID: 516203012 Mon, Dec 16, 2002, 13:55 | ahhh...polk high | ||||||
| 6 | WiddleAvi ID: 361032112 Mon, Dec 16, 2002, 14:09 | 4 TD's in one game | ||||||
| 7 | Mike D Donor ID: 4372378 Mon, Dec 16, 2002, 14:11 | James can't hold a candle to Bundy. | ||||||
| 8 | Bloody Geoff Donor ID: 279423119 Mon, Dec 16, 2002, 14:32 |
"I need to find a girl who I gave a football to that I scores 4 touchdowns with...Yes, my name's Al Bundy!?...Polk High, yes!?...Yes, I do have a problem with foot odor!?...Peg, get off the other phone." "Bud, this ball means everything to me. Not that you and what's her name and what's her name haven't brought me great joy." Al: " I went through hell to get this ball but it was worth it because I'm going to leave you, my only begotten son, my Joe Nuxall baseball card." Bud: " What about your football?" Al: " My football? Are you insane? I'm going to leave this to the only one I truly love, me." | ||||||
| 9 | AdamH ID: 249512410 Mon, Dec 16, 2002, 14:45 | LMAO..I love where this thread's headed | ||||||
| 10 | Tree ID: 40115454 Mon, Dec 16, 2002, 20:52 |
*bows* Tree *can't believe his moment of glory is thanks to a washed-up ex-star high school jock turned shoe salesman* | ||||||
| 11 | KnicksFan Donor ID: 3974252 Mon, Dec 16, 2002, 21:15 | NO MA'AM | ||||||
| 12 | Mike D Donor ID: 131146820 Mon, Dec 16, 2002, 21:21 | I still may have my NO MA'AM shirt. | ||||||
| 13 | rage_22 Donor ID: 4582621 Mon, Dec 16, 2002, 21:27 | Is there a link to this article, or has Youngbucker just been doing some freelancing? | ||||||
| 14 | Mike D Donor ID: 131146820 Mon, Dec 16, 2002, 21:30 | School paper. I heard he got a B+. | ||||||
| 15 | rage_22 Donor ID: 4582621 Mon, Dec 16, 2002, 21:32 | I think he needs to vary his sentence structure a little more in order to get that elusive A. That and he used the word "geez." That's not one of those words teachers like to see in a paper much. | ||||||
| 16 | rockafellerskank Sustainer ID: 30831210 Mon, Dec 16, 2002, 21:34 | LINK to article | ||||||
| 17 | rage_22 Donor ID: 4582621 Mon, Dec 16, 2002, 21:38 |
Nice work rfs. Well there we have it, YB's actual name is Ray Glier. He looks pretty old for being 16 though. 
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| 18 | Mike D Donor ID: 131146820 Mon, Dec 16, 2002, 21:39 | I knew it wasn't Wooley. | ||||||
| 19 | Ender ID: 13443221 Mon, Dec 16, 2002, 21:51 | How much you want to bet Glier's son plays for the opposing team last Thursday night? ;) | ||||||
| 20 | Mike D Donor ID: 131146820 Mon, Dec 16, 2002, 22:00 |
Youngbuck has a son? The "just another p*ssed off opposing player's dad theory," eh Ender? I knew it. | ||||||
| 21 | YOUNGBUCK ID: 331381323 Mon, Dec 16, 2002, 23:31 | I forgot to put the source and stuff. I wasnt trying to make you guys belive I wrote this!!!! | ||||||
| 22 | Mike D Donor ID: 131146820 Mon, Dec 16, 2002, 23:33 | So you don't have a beard? ;) | ||||||
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