LBJ, You’re Better than That
I must admit that I’ve been enjoying my offseason so far! One of the biggest reasons has been due to the great playoff basketball. We’ve had some incredible series with game-winning shots, great defense and lots of action. Throughout everything, one thing I saw the other day really bothered me.
It was when LeBron James chose not to do interviews or shake the hands of the Orlando Magic players who eliminated his Cleveland Cavaliers from the playoffs and ended his Championship run. LeBron is a great player, the face of the league and played great in the playoffs. He really put his all into every game. You can’t take anything away from his performance because his actions on the court spoke for themselves. It’s because he’s a great player and the face of the league that I’m even more disappointed by his actions. I think he made a mistake by not shaking hands or doing interviews. He has to learn to be a better sportsman than that because of what he represents – not just our league but athletes in general. Whether he likes it or not, kids are watching him and following his example. He made a poor choice and I hope if he’s put in the same situation next year or down the line, that he learns from it and goes out there and shakes his opponents hands and does interviews (even if he doesn’t mean it) and demonstrates what sportsmanship is all about.
I think the thing that bothers me most is that he didn’t seem apologetic about not feeling the need to shake hands and do the interviews. When you’re the face of the league, there’s a responsibility that goes along with it. One thing that people don’t realize is that I think he didn’t shake the hands of the Boston Celtics last year when they eliminated his Cavs from the playoffs. (I may be wrong, but I certainly don’t remember him doing it). If this is a pattern, then it’s even more alarming and he’s got to realize it and be better than that.
It’s hard for me to criticize LeBron because he’s usually on top of everything, gets it and does a great job doing everything right. It’s also hard for me to criticize because a few years ago, I was placed in a similar situation and did the same thing LeBron did. I was in a playoff series and my team was losing and on top of that I wasn’t getting any playing time because my coaching staff didn’t feel the need to play me. I was frustrated and when our team lost the series, I walked off the court and didn’t shake my opponents’ hands. I was extremely wrong and want to take the opportunity to apologize to my Washington Wizards fans, teammates, opponents and whoever else was offended by my actions. I hope at some point, LeBron can look back and do the same thing…
B
It was when LeBron James chose not to do interviews or shake the hands of the Orlando Magic players who eliminated his Cleveland Cavaliers from the playoffs and ended his Championship run. LeBron is a great player, the face of the league and played great in the playoffs. He really put his all into every game. You can’t take anything away from his performance because his actions on the court spoke for themselves. It’s because he’s a great player and the face of the league that I’m even more disappointed by his actions. I think he made a mistake by not shaking hands or doing interviews. He has to learn to be a better sportsman than that because of what he represents – not just our league but athletes in general. Whether he likes it or not, kids are watching him and following his example. He made a poor choice and I hope if he’s put in the same situation next year or down the line, that he learns from it and goes out there and shakes his opponents hands and does interviews (even if he doesn’t mean it) and demonstrates what sportsmanship is all about.
I think the thing that bothers me most is that he didn’t seem apologetic about not feeling the need to shake hands and do the interviews. When you’re the face of the league, there’s a responsibility that goes along with it. One thing that people don’t realize is that I think he didn’t shake the hands of the Boston Celtics last year when they eliminated his Cavs from the playoffs. (I may be wrong, but I certainly don’t remember him doing it). If this is a pattern, then it’s even more alarming and he’s got to realize it and be better than that.
It’s hard for me to criticize LeBron because he’s usually on top of everything, gets it and does a great job doing everything right. It’s also hard for me to criticize because a few years ago, I was placed in a similar situation and did the same thing LeBron did. I was in a playoff series and my team was losing and on top of that I wasn’t getting any playing time because my coaching staff didn’t feel the need to play me. I was frustrated and when our team lost the series, I walked off the court and didn’t shake my opponents’ hands. I was extremely wrong and want to take the opportunity to apologize to my Washington Wizards fans, teammates, opponents and whoever else was offended by my actions. I hope at some point, LeBron can look back and do the same thing…
B
