“I ain’t done. Name one thing that I ain’t done. It hurts when you say that I ain’t the one. Haters how do I gain your favor? I need to know cause I care. I need you to love me I swear.”
“Hate”-Jay-Z ft. Kanye West
Greetings folks. I was watching “Pardon the Interruption” yesterday and saw something very disturbing. “Pardon the Interruption” is a sports show hosted by sports columnists Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser about pertinent topics in sports. On yesterday’s show (8/9) the topic of Lebron James came up. Tony Kornheiser was out so Bill Simmons filled in via satellite. Michael Wilbon asked Bill Simmons about Lebron James, specifically about Lebron deciding to work with NBA Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon to hone and improve his low-post game, a decision I definitely support. Wilbon asked Simmons, “If Lebron improves his low-post game does this make him one of the best players ever.” Seems like a simple, straight forward question, to which a person who isn’t a sports journalist could have answered. However, what occurred was anything but a simple answer. What manifested was a clear bias and disdain for Lebron.
As Bill Simmons began to answer the question he started talking about why it took Lebron James 8 years to want to work on his low post game, how he “left a ring on the court” with his performance in the NBA Finals. He stated how Lebron’s failure to take advantage of smaller players in the low post led to the Heat’s demise in the finals. That may or may not be true but that wasn’t the question. But you know what, maybe he misheard it. In an attempt to guide the Simmons back to the question Wilbon asked him, “Do you think that it’s better late than never?” Simmons continued to rant and rave about not having any sympathy for Lebron and how it won’t matter.
In another attempt to get the Simmons to answer the question that was posed at the beginning of the segment, Wilbon mentioned the fact that other NBA stars such as Dwight Howard and Kobe Bryant both sought the instruction of Hakeem to improve their low-post game. The result was a clear improvement in Howard’s offensive production this past season and Kobe who nearly doubled his low-post attempts after working with Olajuwon. Simmons went through the painstaking task of differentiating Kobe from Lebron. He said Kobe’s (who he specifically stated he isn’t a fan of) decision to work with Olajuwon was out of necessity because he’s getting older and he has to find other ways to excel. There are so many things wrong with this statement, but I’ll take 2. (1) Kobe was the 5th leading scorer in the NBA last season (not too shabby for an old guy); (2) Whatever his reason behind wanting to improve, he still did it!
Mr. Simmons you don’t like Lebron James. You don’t care for him as an individual. You may not go as far as to say you hate him, but if he got traded to your favorite team, you would probably opt to cover cricket on the other side of the world than to cover Lebron. You really dislike him. That’s fine. You’re entitled to your opinion. I’m not a huge Kobe Bryant fan myself. After the events that transpired, which led to Shaquille O’Neal leaving for the Miami Heat I saw Kobe in a different light and no longer held him in as high a regard. However, I in no way deny the fact that he is one of the best players in the NBA and one of the best players ever (not better than MJ but up there). My personal feelings about him have NOTHING to do with his game. And despite the fact that I don’t own a Kobe jersey, and perhaps may never will, that doesn’t mean I won’t go the AAA and watch the Miami Heat play the Lakers.
You can feel how you want to feel about Lebron, “The Decision” and the “Big 3’s” grand introduction to the world. I admit, and so did Lebron, that there were mistakes made. One of the biggest discoveries a man can make is that he’s imperfect and how to work on those imperfections. Lebron is on the quest to that discovery and we’re criticizing him for that too. What’s next, getting upset with him because he chose Nike over Addidas? Over being angry with Lebron because we think he should have a different color headband on?
My problem is that it seems as though Bill Simmons and many others are under the misguided notion that they don’t make mistakes. Often times we expect way too much from our public figures. Anything you’re inclined to do, they may be guilty of as well. It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t hold them to a high standard, because we should. Once you decide you want to be in the public realm you should be held to a high standard. However, that standard is not and should not be PERFECTION. No one is perfect. And when our athletes, entertainers and politicians make mistakes we should forgive them; if for no other reason than because we want others to forgive us when we make mistakes.
While you may be angry that Lebron didn’t land with your team, or pissed that he “took his talents to South Beach” (which is a misnomer, because the Heat don’t play on South Beach. The arena is in downtown Miami) get over it and move on. I’m not asking you to run out and buy Miami Heat #6 jerseys. I’m asking you to be more objective in your assessment of this man, his talents and his life. While he may be bigger, stronger, faster and richer than us, at the end of the day he’s like us in at least one way. We all share imperfections and that’s something we should never forget.
Thanks for reading. Until next time, Stay Up and Be Blessed!
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