King James? More like King Baby.
On Saturday, the Cleveland Cavaliers lost game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals to the Orlando Magic, 103-90, a loss that prematurely ended an otherwise storybook season for the Cavs. Orlando will now face the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals beginning on Thursday, June 4th.
Immediately after the game ended Lebron James left the floor. He did not stay to congratulate the Magic on their victory, or to shake hands with any of them.
James went to the locker room, put on a pair of headphones, and then ducked out of town without speaking to reporters, leaving his teammates to answer for Cleveland’s 3rd round exit.
The next day James told the Associated Press that he wasn’t trying to disrespect the Magic. “It’s not being a poor sport or anything like that...If somebody beats you up, you’re not going to congratulate them,” James said. “It doesn’t make sense for me to go over and shake somebody’s hand.”
The incident is reminiscent of the time when Isiah Thomas, along with his teammates on the Detroit Pistons, walked off the floor without congratulating the victorious Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals.
Several media outlets have criticized James for his behavior, and the team for handling it, most notably Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports:
Wojnarowski writes: “Here’s the question: Who has the guts to tell him that he sounds like an immature, self-absorbed brat? ... It won’t be Cleveland Cavaliers ownership, front office and coaches. It won’t be the NBA. It won’t be Nike. And it sure won’t be those childhood sycophants who surround James and tell everyone what a brilliant businessman LeBron is because they can answer the phone when corporations call for a famous pitchman. LeBron doesn’t want to win more than Michael Jordan did, but Jordan could stop and shake a winner’s hand.”
As of this time the Cleveland Cavaliers have stated that Lebron will not be punished for skipping postgame interviews or for walking out.
Our Take
Not cool, Lebron. Not cool at all.
You are more than just an ambassador for the game of basketball and a global icon. You are the most prominent athlete of our generation, and you’re making us look very, very bad. At a time when Millenials are facing accusations of immaturity and childishness in an already challenging workplace environment, our most beloved star is acting like a petulant seven year old throwing a tantrum.
Lebron James has absolutely no reason to act bitter. The Orlando Magic defeated his team, straight up, and they deserve his recognition. I followed the Cavs the entire season and was 100% behind them throughout the playoffs, but when I heard about this incident I was shocked and deeply disappointed.
Lebron needs to apologize to the Orlando Magic, the NBA fans, and to the world at large for his unacceptable behavior. Period.
