What is your opinion of LeBron?

[BurningRiver]

I know this has nothing to do with ND, but it's that boring, post-signing day, pre-spring practice period of the offseason and I was wondering:

Those of you NBA fans, basketball fans, or sports fans in general, what is your opinion of LeBron James? I obviously hate him with a burning, fiery, white-hot passion and whenever I see his face my blood pressure skyrockets, but that's just because I'm a Cavs fan.

Do those of you non-Cavs fans dislike him, or is it just us Cleveland fans who are still disgusted by him?

 

[Ironman8]

Great basketball player, arrogant yet charismatic person, no Jordan.

 

[mick2]

best player in the league, i wouldnt have gone about things the way he did, but really he didnt do anything wrong.

 

[hrc08]

He dances and raps during games. Clown. Oh, good player though but... He dances and raps during games! Kobe, Jordan, Worthy, Pipper, Hakeem, dominated while staying way classy. My kind of players.

 

[Irish Man3]

I love him. I loved the Cavs when he was there because of him and I love the Heat beacuse he is there now. I think he is awesome and the best player in the league. Im not a Heat fan for any other reason than LBJ. If they went to the finals and lost but Lebron averaged 40 a game, I'm good with that.

 

[NDinL.A.]

I can't stand Lebrick, errrr, LeBron. If I wasn't about to teach a class right now, I'd give a much more detailed answer. All I can say is, as a Laker fan, when the Celtics play the Heat, I actually root for the Celtics. He did Cleveland dirrrrrrrrty (not for leaving, but for the way he did it.)

 

[ACamp1900]

Since it was asked, as a sports fan I wish he and Melo and all the other athletes who chose to play basketball would just go away so we could talk about other athletes and sports that I actually have interest in... nothing is worse than turning on sports talk radio or whatever hoping to hearing about the CBA in football, recruiting in cfb, spring trianing, the NHL, soap box derby's... anything other than basktball then listen to people spew all this garbage about Lebron, Melo, Kobe and whoever the hell else... I don't care, let's please talk about something else....

since you asked, that is my honest opinion of all of them...

 

[Rhode Irish]

I'm not taking anything away from Lebron as a basketball player. He is undoubtedly a dominant player. But, I have always disliked him and I feel vindicated by his embarrassing antics this past summer.

Lebron, the person, is a complete figment of his own imagination. He is 100% image and marketing, 0% substance. He may not lack for intellectual aptitude, but his blatant lack of self-awareness and faux-worldliness are as irritating as any traits I can imagine (Lebron, stop substituting "myself" for "me" when you are speaking. It doesn't make you sound sophisticated, it makes you sound like an *** hole).

Lebron is, to me, one of the least likable individuals in sport. As far as I can tell, the guy has one redeeming quality: he is large and extremely athletic. That is it.

Now, I will concede that it would have been very unlikely that Lebron turned out to be a grounded and well-adjusted human being. He has been told since he was a pre-adolescent that he was God's gift to the world. It was almost inevitable that he would turn out to be a self-aggrandizing narcissist. That doesn't mean I have to like him, though.

 

[fitz_bu47]

He had me fooled, I thought he was different. I am a loyal guy, and am loyal to my hometown teams, so I didn't want him to leave Cleveland, BUT realize it was well w/in his right to do so. My problem w/ Lebron began w/ HOW he left Cleveland, "The Decision" was an absolute joke, and showed him as he really is, a spoiled, self-absorbed, narcissistic, dip-**** that has COMPLETELY lost touch w/ reality. If he would of handled it differently, in a classy, respectful to Cleveland way, I would still like him....B/C athletically he is ridiculous, he will never touch Jordan b/c he doesn't have the heart/mind of MJ, but on pure athleticism he is maybe the most ridiculous athlete ever.

 

[IHateMarkMay]

I am not a big fan of his. He is good, but he is an *******. I think "the decision" was a crock of ****. I think he was trying to make up for not choosing a college. I wish the Heat would lose more games than they win, and for a while, it was looking that way. They can't beat the good teams though, which will make for an early exit in the playoffs. It just seems to me that he tries to attract press everywhere he goes. He will not touch any of the greats because their abilities garnered the press they got, not the clowning around and dancing and half an hour or hour long shows on what team he will be going to next.

 

[Irish Man3]

"The Decision" was a bad career move by Lebron but it is something that was pushed down his throat by ESPN. ESPN came to him and asked him to make the decision that way. Could he have said no? Absolutely but it was in no way an idea that he brought to ESPN.

What did he "owe" to Cleveland? He grew up there and was drafted by the Cavs. Neither of those were his choice. He took less money to try and win championships an he is selfish? I must be missing something.

The guy has been a model citizen off the court, even as a young adult in the spotlight. He has helped hundreds of thousands of teenagers with his basketball camps and donations. And, all the money brought in for the airing of "The Decision" was donated to a school in Akron. Sounds like a real bad guy to me.

 

[Ben E.]

A$$clown...


lol, on a serious note though, there were signs all along that he was an integrity bankrupt coward but as cleveland fans we chose to ignore them....ahhh eff that i hope he blows out his knee, becomes dependent on oxycontin, and ends up homeless with his crack whooer momma!

 

[BurningRiver]

"The Decision" was a bad career move by Lebron but it is something that was pushed down his throat by ESPN. ESPN came to him and asked him to make the decision that way. Could he have said no? Absolutely but it was in no way an idea that he brought to ESPN.

What did he "owe" to Cleveland? He grew up there and was drafted by the Cavs. Neither of those were his choice. He took less money to try and win championships an he is selfish? I must be missing something.

The guy has been a model citizen off the court, even as a young adult in the spotlight. He has helped hundreds of thousands of teenagers with his basketball camps and donations. And, all the money brought in for the airing of "The Decision" was donated to a school in Akron. Sounds like a real bad guy to me.

False. He and his posse came to ESPN with the idea. When it was first announced that he would be making his decision on the special, the consensus around Cleveland was, "There's no way he would go on national TV for an hour and rub our faces in it, right? He must be staying."

While you're right that he didn't owe us anything and it was perfectly fine for him to leave, it would have been nice for him to show some compassion or sincerity. For years he told the fans that he understood the heartbreak we have been suffering, and he literally promised he would bring us a championship. Now, I am not mad that he left. I am mad that he ripped our collective hearts out and danced on it for an hour on national TV.

 

[Irish Man3]

Jim Rome had an entire show stating that it was ESPN's idea. They presented the idea to his reps, who then brought the idea to him.

 

[WhoDeyIrish]

Can't stand him never have liked him never will like him. I really hope he never wins a title. There is no denying he is a good player but I don't think he's great. He might eventually be great but I have yet to see him take over a game that matters and until that happens he won't be great. He take over the game in the playoffs against Boston last year but **** down his leg after that so it was all for nothing. I guess you could say he is easy to like and easy to hate I think that he is one of those guys you really like or really hate. Definitely no Jordan and people who compare them it isn't even a comparison. Two completely different players, Lebron is like Magic not as good but that's who he reminds me of. Anyone who thinks LeBron is better than Jordan is an idiot and needs their head checked.

 

[Ben E.]

Can't stand him never have liked him never will like him. I really hope he never wins a title. There is no denying he is a good player but I don't think he's great. He might eventually be great but I have yet to see him take over a game that matters and until that happens he won't be great. He take over the game in the playoffs against Boston last year but **** down his leg after that so it was all for nothing. I guess you could say he is easy to like and easy to hate I think that he is one of those guys you really like or really hate. Definitely no Jordan and people who compare them it isn't even a comparison. Two completely different players, Lebron is like Magic not as good but that's who he reminds me of. Anyone who thinks LeBron is better than Jordan is an idiot and needs their head checked.

+1

 

[Ben E.]

Jim Rome had an entire show stating that it was ESPN's idea. They presented the idea to his reps, who then brought the idea to him.

well if jim rome says it went down that way....lol.

 

[Rhode Irish]

Jim Rome had an entire show stating that it was ESPN's idea. They presented the idea to his reps, who then brought the idea to him.

That is called spin, friend. Once his posse of dropouts and hangers-on realized he was getting killed over it because they don't know what they are doing, they went and found someone else to buy. I'm sure Rome will never have a problem getting Lebron on his show after he peddled their B.S. for them.

And save this nonsense about "he handles himself well for a young guy" and "his charities help kids." Lebron doesn't handle himself well. He handles himself like a douche bag, but you aren't allowed to know about that. And charities? This guy is the most fake dude I've ever come across in my life.

If a flawless superhero sports stars fulfills a boyhood fantasy of yours, thats cool. But I'd rather have the cocky sports stars act cocky, the jerk sports stars act like jerks, and stop trying to fool people and insulting our intelligence.

 

[Irish Insanity]

Great player. Works better for him in an environment with a above average supporting cast as opposed to him leading and directing the team. He is learning he can be the best player on the floor w/o having to lead and direct the team.

 

[Irish Insanity]

best player in the league, i wouldnt have gone about things the way he did, but really he didnt do anything wrong.

I respectfully disagree. IMO Durant.

 

[DomerInHappyValley]

Destroyed any legacy he had built up with "The Decision".
It's not even his team it's D-Wade's team.
It was never an event to me when he came to Boston like it was when Jordan or Kobe came.
Jordan is the reason I decided to root for UNC as a kid and Kobe I just have an intense hatred for.
I can't say much about 3 star players teaming up as a Celtic's fan.
Though Ray was never considered the best in the league and Garnett was 4 years removed and 300+ games from when he was considered one of the top 5 in the league.
The difference is Ray and Kevin knew it was Paul's team and Bron Bron doesn't want to admit it's Wade's team.
I say enjoy him for what he is a talented player who knew that even though he was considered #1 or 1A in the league that he didn't have the killer instinct that the greats have.
Maybe the hatred he has garnered this year will change that, but I doubt it.
At least he was self aware enough to realize that.

 

[Jerry]

I've never seen an athlete that is in that Magic, Jordan, Kobe, "Elite Class" that plays the way Lebron does. When the Bull's played the Heat last week the Heat were going on scoreless droughts and during these periods Lebron wouldn't touch the ball for 4 or 5 series in a row. Jordan (and a lot of other superstars) would have demanded the ball made the other team stop them. But Lebron passes the ball or drives to the lane and throws up a floater before contact or shoots a wild 3/low percentage shot. He just doesn't have that it factor that other great players have.

 

[Irish2015]

Used to like him when he was a Cav, now think hes an arrogant prick. Helluva player but no Jordan.

 

[HereComeTheIrish]

He's an A s s bag, but I'm biased...

 

[Irish Man3]

I respectfully disagree. IMO Durant.

Durant plays ZERO defense and if his outside shot is not on, it ruins his whole game. He is an amazing player but until he plays all around basketball, it's hard to consider him the best player in the NBA.

 

[A Pac]

DOOOOOOOOOOUCHE BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAG

 

[rikkitikki08]

Yeah he is a major douche bag, my only real problem with him is how he now thinks he is bigger than the game

 

[Irish Man3]

That is called spin, friend. Once his posse of dropouts and hangers-on realized he was getting killed over it because they don't know what they are doing, they went and found someone else to buy. I'm sure Rome will never have a problem getting Lebron on his show after he peddled their B.S. for them.

And save this nonsense about "he handles himself well for a young guy" and "his charities help kids." Lebron doesn't handle himself well. He handles himself like a douche bag, but you aren't allowed to know about that. And charities? This guy is the most fake dude I've ever come across in my life.

If a flawless superhero sports stars fulfills a boyhood fantasy of yours, thats cool. But I'd rather have the cocky sports stars act cocky, the jerk sports stars act like jerks, and stop trying to fool people and insulting our intelligence.

How do you know how Lebron handles himself off the court, friend? Tell me how many times he's had legal trouble off the court or been brought up in any kind of scandal? It's one thing to have an opinion and think he's cocky but to challenge someones integrity when you know nothing about him his stupid. You don't like him, thats fine. What charities? The guy donates tons of money to school in the state of Ohio, he holds basketball camps every year mainly for inner city kids. the most fake dude you've ever come across in your life? You've spent time hanging out with Lebron James? Doubt it. You want to meet someone more fake? Talk to any politician in the country.

 

[clashmore_mike]

I post on an Ohio based sports forum and this topic has been discussed pretty much daily since last July. It really is amazing the way people have turned on him because he left as a free agent. The only thing that he did was wrong was the whole Decision thing. Nothing changed about his talent, or the person that he is.

 

[HereComeTheIrish]

He's an a s s.