(Site note: Look to the bottom of this post to find links to the other opinions and intro to this debate).
Much fuss has been made about the action, or lack of action, taken by LeBron James after game 6 of the ‘09 NBA Eastern Conference Finals. At the conclusion of the game, King James walked off the court without speaking to any of the Orlando Magic players. He then proceeded to go into the locker room, shower up, and leave without speaking to the media. My opinion differs from Sports Geek and Bleacher Fan’s. I believe that while LeBron had no responsibility to speak to the media, I believe that he showed poor sportsmanship and a lack of class by not shaking hands with Magic players.
Personally, I always like getting up in the morning and read the morning paper or watch my favorite sports news program to see, read, and hear what the players say after the game from the previous night. It’s just fascinating to get the point of view of players and coaches after the game, win or lose.
However, I understand when a player doesn’t want to talk to the media directly after a game, especially after a hard fought series like this one was. James averaged over 38 points-per-game during the series, and he was practically a one man show throughout the entire series. I’m sure he was frustrated. Perhaps the emotion was still too raw, and he didn’t want to say something he might regret. I can respect that.
But, by not shaking the hands of the Magic players and coaches, he showed terrible sportsmanship and an extreme lack of class. He is arguably the face of the NBA. Act like it!
Remember the days of T-ball? After the game, you would line up and give each player and coach on the other team a high five. We are all taught this at a very young age. Maybe King James didn’t play T-ball, but you get my drift. It’s not like LeBron is in the middle of a feud with any of the Magic players. By all accounts, LeBron and Dwight Howard are friends. They played on the “Redeem Team” together. To his credit, LeBron texted Howard the next day to congratulate him. But, he didn’t apologize. He felt no need to. He is wrong in thinking that.
LeBron, you are always going to be under a microscope – like or not. This will happen whether or not you play after next year, whether it’s in Cleveland, New York, Europe, or Mayberry, North Carolina. You are a star. We are a witness to you, according to Nike. Give us some better sportsmanship to witness!
(Site note: You can read the intro to this debate, Bleacher Fan’s opinion, and Sports Geek’s opinion, too. Let the voting begin!!
I like your work sportsdebate. Welcome to my blogroll.
Personally i would say that way too much has been made of this. It is only because of his profile that this whole sportsmanship issue has exploded.
So he didn’t want to shake hands post game? He just lost in the Conference Finals! Of course he’s down. Of course he’s annoyed. I’d have walked to.
The way that people have reacted tells you a lot about what people get from sports.
I like that he went semi bad boy because it kinda sets off his thus far pristine reputation.
Who doesn’t like drama?
Thanks for hitting.
straighttotheleague.wordpress.com
Thanks for the kudos — I’ll add you to the blog roll for us, too.
So, you like the see the goody-goody get into trouble? Does LeBron have a national reputation as a goody-goody?
Thanks for checking us out!
You’ve got no argument from me regarding this topic. When I have a bad day at work (and that’s basically what LeBron had), I don’t even want to talk to my wife, so I couldn’t imagine having to face the media!!
Good point about his semi-bad boy behavior. To be honest with you, being a Cavs fan, I’m alright with everyone hating on LeBron. I’ll tell you it’s not going on in Cleveland. I’m all for letting him know that we still love him, and he should stay here for his entire career!!!
Yeah thanks for checking us out!
It’s not that I am hating on Lebron. But all the other players stayed out to shake the hands of the Magic? Yes he is the star. But aren’t we always told, “You win as a team, you lose as a team.” ?
To me there is no debate,Lebron was wrong.But please save me the sportsmanship issue.Trash talking,staring down opponets after a dunk,hard (dirty) fouls,and constant complaining to the refs are all considered “part of the game”.But, not giving a phoney handshake after the game is bad sportsmanship,come on.Where was all the complaints from the media when Dwight Howard stood over Varejou screaming after his lay up.Yes he was givin a technical,but even that was taken away (did the foul shot still count?).Yes Lebron should have gone to the press conference.You go after good games,you should go after the bad ones.he has to realize(and I am sure he does)that he is Lebron James and there are very few other players that are as scrutinized as he is
Old School, GREAT post. Love it. It sparked a couple of thoughts…
First, like it or not, the ritual of the post-series handshake is solidly woven in to the fabric of fan expectations. They expect the players to be good sports, and opposing players expect it as a sign of good sportsmanship. In general, I agree with you that it’s half-hearted on the part of the players, but it’s still an expectation that’s noted when it’s not delivered on.
GREAT point about the foul shot counting even though the technical was rescinded. With two Ts rescinded in just the Eastern Conference Finals alone, it really makes you wonder how much confidence the league has in their officials. If I were an official, I would feel undermined.
You’re right, few players fall under the scrutiny that he does — no matter what market he plays in. If he thinks the scrutiny is tough now, he should wait and see what it’s like if he decided to play in New York.
I was shocked to see Mo Williams hit so hard in the face (during the playoffs game). He was bleeding a lot. If a team did that to my teammate and friend I would not shake their hands either. Basketball is not hockey.
If that was LeBron’s motivation, is certainly is understandable. But, do you think that played as big of a factor as the beating his team of high expectations took?