'He says dumb sh*t' — 14 years later, NBA fans condemned LeBron James after his infamous post-game briefing took a jab at critics resurfaced
LeBron James. Image via: David Berding/ Getty Images
Fourteen years ago,
LeBron James
faced the most intense wave of backlash in his career after a crushing NBA Finals loss. Now, a resurfaced clip from that infamous post-game press conference is once again fueling online outrage.
Fans are not forgetting his remarks from 2011, and social media has lit up with fresh criticism, as many argue the NBA icon's words still reflect the arrogance that once made him basketball's most polarizing figure.
14 years ago, LeBron James gave his most talked-about comments before the press
In 2010, LeBron's decision to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers and form a superteam in Miami created an earthquake in the NBA landscape. Fans across the league turned on him overnight, accusing him of abandoning his hometown team and compromising the competitive balance of the sport.
When James joined forces with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, the trio became both the most feared and most hated unit in the NBA.
The hatred reached its peak in the 2011 NBA Finals. Miami entered the series as heavy favorites but collapsed under the pressure, losing in six games to the Dallas Mavericks. The defeat was especially painful because LeBron, the face of the Heat's new era, delivered an underwhelming performance throughout the series.
Critics and fans rejoiced in his failure, with many calling it the most disappointing moment of his career.
Post-game, James delivered the most talked-about presser that still puts the NBA world into frenzy.
"All the people that were rooting on me to fail, at the end of the day, they have to wake up tomorrow and have the same life that they had before they woke up today,' James said.
'They have the same personal problems they had today.
I'm going to continue to live the way I want to live and continue to do the things that I want to do with me and my family and be happy with that. They can get a few days or a few months or whatever the case may be on being happy about not only myself, but the Miami Heat not accomplishing their goal. But they have to get back to the real world at some point," he added.
It was brutal; instead of taking the conventional route of humility, LeBron's post-Finals demeanor struck a nerve.
While his teammates, including Wade, praised the Mavericks and accepted the loss with grace, James' tone rubbed people in an unexpected way.
Fans respond to the vintage LeBron James video as it resurfaces 14 years later
His decision to speak candidly about the critics seemed to backfire, especially considering the context of his disappointing on-court showing. Even today, fans are not over the comments despite James accomplishing many great things over the years since.
'This why people hate on him.
Cause he says dumb s*it like this lol,' one fan wrote on X.
Another went to extreme lengths to condemn the now-Lakers legend. 'What a bi*ch….What an embarrassment….'
'Sooo is the fans that's rooting for you to fail made you lose the finals Lebron? You really don't care about the game or the fans. I have one to say to you Lebron just retire and stay away from the game for 6 months and you will see how you will be forgetten,' another slammed James.
One fan wrote, 'That's when I lost respect for him. He's great, but without fans the platform isn't as big and neither is the money. He reacted to his emotions that not everyone likes him or sees life through his eyes.'
'This was so extra and unnecessary, 'rooting for me to fail'?! Bro nobody wanted to see you destitute & homeless, they wanted the other team to win, it's a basketball game. So were the ppl rooting for his team 'rooting for the failure' of Dirk?!' another shared.
What followed, however, was one of the most impressive comebacks in modern sports. LeBron returned the next season with a sharpened mentality and went on to win back-to-back NBA championships with the Heat in 2012 and 2013. After a successful four-year stint in Miami, he made his way back to Cleveland, where he finally delivered the city its long-awaited championship in 2016.
Also Read:
LeBron James talks about how the NBA Bubble 2020 was nothing short of a "mental warfare"
Currently with the Los Angeles Lakers, James has added another title to his name and is still rewriting records in Year 21 of his career.
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