LeBron James seems like a well-intentioned guy but he lost a lot of love from the public after A) Bowing out to the Celtics in a strange, almost uninterested fashion, B) “The Decision”, and C) Everything he’s done since then.

LeBron says via Twitter that he’s keeping tabs on anybody taking shots at him and then everybody takes shots at him for his tweet. LeBron says racism played a part in the reaction to “The Decision” (Which it did. Race plays a factor in everything in the U.S. from people wanting to “take our country back” to folks hating on Brett Favre.) and then he’s accused of playing the race card.

The damning on both sides of the fence left James asking us what he should do and while the well done NIKE commercial got people talking it also got mocked. First by Michelle Beadle on Sportsnation and now by South Park. I can’t tell if Cartman’s last line is meant to come from him or speak for LeBron.. Maybe it’s a little of both.

[South Park]

LeBron James and NIKE collaborated on a new commercial for the King that shows him asking the viewer “What should I do?” in reference to a number of his past decisions including “The Decision.” The spot is titled “Rise” (Even with LeBron’s popularity plummeting since mid-July) and while well intentioned, it only provides more fodder for the people James is trying to address. Luckily for LeBron the season starts tomorrow so he’ll be able to get out of his own way and just play basketball.

The commercial is well done but the timing couldn’t have been worse.

LeBron James has been a superstar since high school, so I’m sure he’s very used having a target on himself and competing with other stars for the biggest shine. It’s only magnified in the NBA, where he’s been heralded as one of the best players alive.

His back to back MVP awards helped his supporters in their never-ending “Who’s Better?” debate between him and Kobe Bryant. Of course, those in Los Angeles will argue that Kobe’s back to back championships with the Lakers nullify the individual awards, even though the question is supposedly about who is a better individual player. (*scratches head*) Either way, Kobe injected some new life into the discussion by boldly saying he’d beat LeBron in a 1 on 1 game “in his sleep”, eliciting reactions from everyone in the world except LeBron. Until now.

Prompted by this Tweet from a fake Mike Vick that said Kobe was “throwing jabs” at him, LeBron responded on his Twitter.

Considering he’s much younger, has been putting up better numbers than Kobe in every major statistical category for the last several years, has two MVP awards, superior size and strength and won a majority of the head to head matchups, LeBron kept it classy with his response.

Unless the two finally meet up in the NBA Finals or do like the Fake Vick says and play one on one, nobody will really know the answer. One thing is for sure though, these two guys will keep competing in everything from who can do the more feminine photoshoots (Kobe’s awkward staring beat LeBron’s skinny jeans) to bigger name for at least a few years more.

-Will.

Will R. is a journalist/writer who covers sports, news and music for several websites. His music work can be found on www.WestCoastRydaz.com

Say what you want about LeBron James and his comments about racism on CNN on Wednesday night. When it comes to his decision and the backlash that followed, it’s not about race. It’s about love; more specifically, love scorned.

Fans in Cleveland (hell, fans across the league) now curse LeBron’s name and burn his jerseys as they would photos of an ex-girlfriend, but it’s not because of his skin color or his heritage or the way he was brought up that they act this way.

It’s because they once admired him and believed in him and revered him so much that now that he’s gone, they don’t know what to do with themselves.

So they boo him and mock him and write negative things about him in the press.

That’s how a breakup often works. When love is gone, hate takes its place.

Can you blame Cavaliers fans then, when they take a match to a pile of wine and gold No. 23s? Can you blame the NBA fans who, in the aftermath of “The Decision,” talk about LeBron as they would a brother who disappointed the family?

I don’t. That kind of behavior makes complete sense to me.

Analyst Jalen Rose talks about white fans being scared of African American players taking control of their own destinies, but with all due respect I think that’s irrelevant here.

The fans aren’t mad because LeBron did what was best for LeBron. They’re mad because he spit in the face of a city that treated him like a son and acted in a way that was different from his previously recognized public persona.

You can’t just slap the NBA community across the cheek that way and expect it not to leave a mark.

When hockey great Wayne Gretzky left the Oilers in 1988, the city of Edmonton responded was crestfallen. Their sadness quickly turned to anger, then outrage. Granted, it was outrage directed at the owner who traded Gretzky but imagine if Gretzky had left of his own volition. Imagine if he had been a free agent and ditched Canadian soil for Los Angeles.

Do you think Edmonton would have responded with a wave of the hand and a kiss on the cheek, simply because he was white?

No way.

They would have bashed Gretzky with the same fervor that people now bash LeBron; perhaps more, considering how popular hockey is in Canada. Many a No. 99 jersey would have been doused in Molson Light and burned that night and if you think otherwise you’re kidding yourself.

My point is this: The type of negative reaction we’ve seen in the months since LeBron left Cleveland isn’t reserved for black players or white players, it’s a universal response.

When superstars leave (especially under the conditions that LeBron left Cleveland), fans get angry.

It’s as simple as that.

I don’t deny that racism, however subtle it is now compared to how it was in the past, is present in the NBA. There’s a reason Steve Nash has two MVP trophies and Kobe Bryant has just one. But in this case I think racism played about as big a part as Matt Damon in Euro Trip.

If LeBron and Co. really felt strongly that race was a relevant part of this equation, they would have played the race card in July, when the Rev. Jesse Jackson equated Cavs owner Dan Gilbert to a slave owner.

As it is, this is nothing more than the media (myself included) catering to a hot issue – when the race card comes out, often so do high ratings.

People can talk all they want, and they will, but ultimately the negativity surrounding LeBron isn’t about some statement Maverick Carter made on cable TV.

This has happened before and it’ll happen again and when it does it won’t be about race or heritage or background, it’ll be about pain. The pain of someone who has loved and been scorned.

Patrick Crawley is the sports editor for Neon Tommy and the managing editor of Basketball Fiend.

LeBron James and his image have taken a major hit since the end of last season aka his terrible summer. He acknowledged it all by warning people that he was taking mental notes and that combined with all the free time in the off season caused everyone to basically over react to any little thing he said or did.

Truthfully though, LeBron has always been a relatively fun guy, despite the evil image everyone’s thrown on him. One of the latest examples of that is this new commercial from him and music legend Dr. Dre.

The two have teamed up to promote a new version of Dre’s extremely popular “Beats by Dr. Dre” headphone line that emphasizes its mobility and ease of use for athletes without compromising sound quality. The new commercial features the two superstars alongside comedian Affion Crockett and has some very funny moments, including Crockett repeatedly bringing up Kobe Bryant‘s championships to LeBron.

Check it out below.

It’s cool to see LeBron silence some of the foolish people who think his ego wouldn’t allow Kobe to even be mentioned in the same room as him by letting Affion poke fun at a popular theme in the NBA (Kobe vs Lebron). Either way, I’m sure he can’t wait for him and his new Miami Heat teammates to suit up and chase a few rings of their own. With training camps across the NBA ready to start back up, most of the focus will thankfully shift back to basketball now.

-Will.

Will R. is a journalist/writer who covers sports, news and music for several websites. His music work can be found on www.WestCoastRydaz.com

On Wednesday, a report from CNBC.com’s Darren Rovell revealed that LeBron James is the sixth most disliked personality in sports, just behind an alleged rapist; a serial cheater; a pair of diva-imitating, spotlight-hogging wide receivers; and a convicted dog killer.

According to Rovell’s report, 39 percent of the American public views LeBron in a negative light. The other 61 percent is made up of Miami Heat fans and people too busy to watch TV or surf the Internet. (Believe me, if they had the time, they would despise LeBron too.)

A year ago, LeBron was not only liked by American sports fans, he was revered. When he hit a buzzer beater to beat the Magic in Game 2 of the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals, the whole world seemed to be celebrating with him.

Now the story couldn’t be more opposite. One summer later, he’s a national punching bag. Everybody from Jason Whitlock to Bill Simmons to Charles Barkley has got their shots in against him. Other than Tiger Woods, he’s the easiest target in professional sports.

One summer. That’s all it took.

Then again, if you had a summer like LeBron’s, I’m pretty sure people would be diving off your bandwagon too.

If you spit in the face of your home state on national television like some kind of enraged Flava Flav groupie, you too would see your Q rating drop.

If you followed that debacle with a hubris-filled parade in your new city that included a declaration of not one, not two, but seven championships, you’d be reviled even more.

And if, to top it all off, you came out publicly and said you were keeping a revenge list of everyone who doubted you and you were going to use that list as fuel for future success, I doubt very much you’d be invited over for dinner anytime soon.

After all, nobody wants to eat with someone who’s already filled his belly with ego.

Imagine you did all that. Then imagine you carried yourself like a complete jerk all summer, cavorting around Vegas with models in Heat jerseys, eating crown-shaped cakes with your name on them, dunking viciously on kids a third your age.

How many friends do you think you’d have then? Not many, right?

If you’re wondering how LeBron sank to such low popularity depths, put yourself in his shoes for a minute. Walk around in those size 16s with your name on the tongue, peruse your new $50 million mansion, shoot pool with the sycophants and “yes” men that surround you. Then compare your net worth to the losses the city of Cleveland encountered on the day you so thoughtlessly slapped them in the face.

Put yourself in LeBron’s shoes. Think of all the burned jerseys and smoldering fans. Think of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, idols who consider his “Decision” cowardly. Think of his first championship, how Kobe-Shaq it will feel, the headlines crowded with “Wade’s” and “Bosh’s.”

Put yourself in LeBron’s shoes. Walk around for a bit. Look in the mirror. Do you feel good about yourself?

I know I wouldn’t.

Patrick Crawley is the sports editor for Neon Tommy and the managing editor of Basketball Fiend.

Photo Source: Nice Kicks

Labor Day weekend signals the end of the summer and it couldn’t have come fast enough for the Miami Heat’s LeBron James. His offseason consisted of rumors about his mom and Delonte West hooking up, the ill-advised “Decision”, partying and a decline in his approval rating. The only person that had a worse summer is Mel Gibson. Barely.

The video below sums up LeBron’s summer vacation in six minutes although it can be described with four letters. F-A-I-L.

The defending Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics have reportedly signed free agent guard Delonte West today, acquiring a talented (and troubled) reserve for their suddenly very deep bench. The move also gave aspiring comics across Twitter some new material for Delonte West, LeBron James and “insert player’s mother” here jokes.

If you’re confused, I’ll help. After the Cleveland Cavaliers surprised everyone and lost to the Celtics in an underwhelming fashion during the playoffs, many around the league wondered if LeBron quit. It seemed obvious that something was bothering him and although hindsight suggests he was probably visualizing taking his talents to south beach, there was an ugly rumor that said it all involved something much more personal.

It was alleged that West had an affair with LeBron’s mother Gloria James. It’s a terribly crude rumor and it was eventually denied by one of LeBron’s lawyers, but this is the Internet after all, so it’s lived on through comedy.

There was the awful comedic styles of Jim Florentine, songs with lines like “but I’m a motherfucker, no Delonte West, the “You Can Head South, but Your Mom’s Riding West” shirts and now thanks to Twitter, a variety of Delonte-inspired Tweets.

The signing definitely sets up an interesting opening night with the Celtics hosting the new look Miami Heat. I’m sure everyone will be looking to see how LeBron and West interact with each other.

- Will.

Will R. is a journalist/writer who covers sports, news and music for several websites. His music work can be found on www.WestCoastRydaz.com

LeBron James has had a busy (and if you’re outside of Miami, not so good) summer. There was the Decision, him joining Twitter, the ESPN article that allegedly existed at one point, the skinny jeans pictures in GQ magazine and much, much more. Everyone’s had something to say about the King, and not all of it was good. That led to his now infamous “mental notes” warning via Twitter and even more over-analyzing of his every move.

Luckily for us basketball fans, the season is approaching soon, which means we’ll all get back to watching the game. In one of the first glimpses of him practicing for his new Miami Heat team, LeBron proves what we all already knew, nobody can guard him. Not even Heat coach Erik Spoelstra.

You might notice the “I can’t stop him so I’ll push him as he shoots” defense Spoelstra repeatedly uses has no effect on James. It’s probably because James is built like a truck and Spoelstra looks like a grocery store bag boy, but either way someone needs to remind him that he doesn’t play for the Lakers, so he won’t get away with that type of defense. (Zing!)

On a more serious note though, it’s good to see him in the gym working on continuing to improve his outside shot. As has been noted a million times, if he can develop a consistent jumper and low-post game, he’ll become unstoppable. Also good to see Udonis Haslem in there after his questionable arrest a few weeks ago, although the video doesn’t specify when it was filmed. If basketball isn’t your thing, you can always watch this video he just released of his son’s kindergarten classroom.

- Will.

Will R. is a journalist/writer who covers sports, news and music for several websites. His music work can be found on www.WestCoastRydaz.com

LeBron James has taken more crap than he ever imagined for his decision to leave Cleveland for the Miami Heat. And for dunking on little kids. And for anything else he’s done this summer. His interview and photoshoot with GQ magazine aren’t going to help the problem.

LeBron sported a pair of white skinny jeans for one of the pictures and so far Twitter hasn’t been very receptive. The Orlando Magic should be glad LeBron didn’t shake their hands after the 2009 ECF because lately, something’s gone wrong with everything he’s touched.

Into the Funhouse with King James [GQ]