While some adulate LeBron for his incredible appearances in the court, others hate on what he represents and the way he carries himself. The high controversy around LeBron is the result of the tremendous publicity he has acquired through his achievements in The League and massive promotion from gigantic multinational corporations, such as Nike. LeBron is severely criticized from NBA fans for many reasons, including his behavior on the court and the way he uses his public image.
Criticism against LeBron has been sparked by some of his own comments. He was considered egotistical and obnoxious after saying, “If I could clone myself, we’d be all right. But I can’t,” while fans saw him ignoring the sportsmanship spirit by stating, “It’s hard for me to congratulate somebody after you just lose to them,” he said. “I’m a winner. It’s not being a poor sport or anything like that. If somebody beats you up, you’re not going to congratulate them. That doesn’t make sense to me. I’m a competitor. That’s what I do. It doesn’t make sense for me to go over and shake somebody’s hand.”
Below, LeBron's reaction after Cavaliers win Game 2 against the Warriors.
In fact, the extent of hating on LeBron is so vast that a lot of people have used much of their time to create and upload webpages which have a sole purpose: the denunciation of LeBron.
Furthermore, LeBron made lots of fans furious after his decision to leave the Cavaliers for the prospect of creating an empire with Miami Heat. Cleveland fans, as well as other NBA supporters, considered this move as a betrayal, since LeBron decided to go after glory and NBA rings instead of supporting his team. The gravity of this move was so strong on the media that acquired its own name, “The Decision."
In spite of this heated critique on LeBron, even his most hardcore haters cannot refute his achievements in The League. LeBron has been an invaluable asset to both of the teams he has played since he is almost impossible to be guarded due to his physical abilities. In fact, according to ESPN, LeBron can reach the speed of 20 miles per hour, which is equal to Chris Paul’s speed with the difference that Paul is about eight inches shorter and around 75 pounds lighter!
Furthermore, statistics clearly demonstrate that LeBron is one of the most successful players in the history of The League. As an all-around player, LeBron is a key to every game because of his rare combination of skills, which makes coaches adjust their defensive plan on how they can limit him.
LeBron recently became the first NBA player to be present in five consecutive NBA Finals since 1966, when Bill Russell and his Celtics companions used to terrorize the hoops. Additionally, LeBron averaged 45.8 minutes, 13.3 rebounds, 8.8 assists, and 35.8 points in the six games against the Warriors while many claimed that he should be named as the NBA Finals MVP, even though he was on the losing side!
In the history of NBA, many players have become symbols of controversy between the fans. The dominant symbol for modern NBA is LeBron, playing the role of the hero and the villain for the NBA fans with visible success. At the end of the day, these characters give an additional motive to the audience to watch the game and become more passionate about it. So, can fans genuinely hate them?
