After LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers were swept by the Golden State Warriors my timeline was predictably filled with people arguing that LeBron couldn't possibly be the greatest of all time because he didn't fart rainbows or just will his team to victory.
One of the most eyebrow raising post was of Michael Jordan celebrating another title. I don't even remember what Mike was going on about but it made remember remember something about Mike that I had forgotten in all the Lebron comparisons: Mike was a complete asshole.
Then, I got to thinking about Mike's heir (air) to the title of best in the game, Kobe. Kobe wasn't brimming with personality but one thing that we should all agree on, is that he was also a fucking dick. I specifically remember him ignoring Chris Rock on the sidelines like he was too focused to be funny.
Then there's LeBron James. Even when he has a team full of underachievers he has the nerve to pick up his purse and leave rather than let reporters blame JR Smith for flubbing the last precious seconds of game one (and glossing over one of the most questionable call reversals in Finals history).
This guy is a diplomat. He has been a class act in matters of race, politics and even the fact that he worked in an organization that has a front office that has been an affront to fronts and offices around the league (not counting the Knicks).
Sure, he called the President a bum but if anything that was being nice. He was nice to Kyrie when got himself traded for hot potato salad. Hell, he was even nice to a city full of people that had his jerseys burning in trash cans. And, that city was CLEVELAND, OHIO!
Kobe, on the other hand, managed to run Shaq out of town. Mike yelled at anyone not named Phil Jackson and when it came to politics or social movements, Mike and Kobe shut the fuck up and sold shoes.
With this in mind, I have figured out why so many people seem so vehement about LeBron only being the third greatest player they've ever seen (Which is really not much of an insult BTW). He is not alpha male enough.
I get it. People like alpha males. There are two main reasons why people love them. Guys that want to be alpha males and people that think this is the greatest expression of masculinity. While I am averse to so called alphas; it is what we have come to expect from professional athletes; especially NBA players. Here LeBron comes with his short suit and hand bag and throws all that out of the window. He willingly passes to J.R. Smith. He is still on his first girlfriend and he even refuses to shave his damned head.
Coming off the heels of Mike and Kobe, those things just aren't manly and alpha worshipers just don't see Bron as being manly enough. Of course, they can't come out and say that so they say things like "He should always hold the other team's best player." even though that could be 3 different people in Golden State's case. Or they will say something like "Well Kobe beat x-amount of 60-win teams." and neglect the fact that Kobe played on one of the best teams ever assembled when the Eastern Conference was basically hapless.
Then yesterday happened amd LeBron became Laker and Kobe fans found themselves in a conundrum. Will they embrace their new champion in the face of the Warriors or will they wait and see what he can do with a team full of JR Smiths and blame him for only making it to the Western conference finals?
Time will tell. One thing that remains certain, LeBron James is very good at basketball. We will never see another one like this and if you can't enjoy that, it's not because there is something wrong with him. There is something wrong with you.
One of the most eyebrow raising post was of Michael Jordan celebrating another title. I don't even remember what Mike was going on about but it made remember remember something about Mike that I had forgotten in all the Lebron comparisons: Mike was a complete asshole.
Then, I got to thinking about Mike's heir (air) to the title of best in the game, Kobe. Kobe wasn't brimming with personality but one thing that we should all agree on, is that he was also a fucking dick. I specifically remember him ignoring Chris Rock on the sidelines like he was too focused to be funny.
Then there's LeBron James. Even when he has a team full of underachievers he has the nerve to pick up his purse and leave rather than let reporters blame JR Smith for flubbing the last precious seconds of game one (and glossing over one of the most questionable call reversals in Finals history).
This guy is a diplomat. He has been a class act in matters of race, politics and even the fact that he worked in an organization that has a front office that has been an affront to fronts and offices around the league (not counting the Knicks).
Sure, he called the President a bum but if anything that was being nice. He was nice to Kyrie when got himself traded for hot potato salad. Hell, he was even nice to a city full of people that had his jerseys burning in trash cans. And, that city was CLEVELAND, OHIO!
Kobe, on the other hand, managed to run Shaq out of town. Mike yelled at anyone not named Phil Jackson and when it came to politics or social movements, Mike and Kobe shut the fuck up and sold shoes.
With this in mind, I have figured out why so many people seem so vehement about LeBron only being the third greatest player they've ever seen (Which is really not much of an insult BTW). He is not alpha male enough.
I get it. People like alpha males. There are two main reasons why people love them. Guys that want to be alpha males and people that think this is the greatest expression of masculinity. While I am averse to so called alphas; it is what we have come to expect from professional athletes; especially NBA players. Here LeBron comes with his short suit and hand bag and throws all that out of the window. He willingly passes to J.R. Smith. He is still on his first girlfriend and he even refuses to shave his damned head.
Coming off the heels of Mike and Kobe, those things just aren't manly and alpha worshipers just don't see Bron as being manly enough. Of course, they can't come out and say that so they say things like "He should always hold the other team's best player." even though that could be 3 different people in Golden State's case. Or they will say something like "Well Kobe beat x-amount of 60-win teams." and neglect the fact that Kobe played on one of the best teams ever assembled when the Eastern Conference was basically hapless.
Then yesterday happened amd LeBron became Laker and Kobe fans found themselves in a conundrum. Will they embrace their new champion in the face of the Warriors or will they wait and see what he can do with a team full of JR Smiths and blame him for only making it to the Western conference finals?
Time will tell. One thing that remains certain, LeBron James is very good at basketball. We will never see another one like this and if you can't enjoy that, it's not because there is something wrong with him. There is something wrong with you.
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