LeBron James Overruled Team Security for the Benefit of Military Personnel


If you happen to be a LeBron James hater, and there are many these days, it’s kinda hard to stay mad at the dude when he does something as cool as this. Reports the Oklahoman and Sun-Sentinel: “During a recent trip to Portland, the Heat had a layover at OKC’s Will Rogers World Airport. According to an airport worker, LeBron James roused his teammates for photos with military personnel. He noticed a couple of uniformed military personnel approach the team’s security person […] Just like the Heat players, the helicopter pilots were in the terminal stretching their legs. They never expected the Miami Heat to walk through the door. Some of them wanted pictures with the players, but when the crew members approached the team’s security detail, they were told no. Maybe LeBron could overhear the conversation, or perhaps he could just tell by their body language what was going on. Either way, he piped up. ‘Hey, hey,’ he said, ‘any of these military guys can take a picture with us.’ He turned to his teammates. ‘You guys get up,’ he told them. He turned to the servicemen. ‘Get your camera up,’ he said. He started to wave the servicemen over but noticed that some of the players weren’t yet on their feet. ‘Hey, everybody get up,’ he said. ‘Get in a circle here. Anybody that wants their picture taken with us, we’ll do it.’ And that’s exactly what they did. Any of the four or five dozen helicopter crewmen who wanted a photo got one. Not all of them did, but LeBron and his teammates posed with each and every one of them who asked. When those pilots and crewmen walked out of the terminal and back across the tarmac, they had big ol’ smiles on their faces. […] James confirmed the story, saying he felt it was necessary to show support of the troops. ‘These are guys who put their life in danger every day,’ James said. ‘If it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t be free. They give us freedom every day. It’s ironic that they would be there at the airport the same time we were there. I got the team together. We all took a picture with all of them. I had a great conversation with them. They do so many great things for America, for all of us. The least we could do was take a picture with them.’”