Why LeBron’s Ego Deserves a Pass

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• matt Posted: Jun.22 at 11:30 am
  1st

• Blue Posted: Jun.22 at 11:33 am
  I did…NBA Titles = 0

• erika badu Posted: Jun.22 at 11:34 am
  he’s annoying

• asdj Posted: Jun.22 at 11:35 am
  Shut up.. That’s the type of douchebaggery that will feed this a$$hole’s ego … It’s disgraceful from a guy who’s accomplished next to nothing besides an MVP award.
  Lebron James is rightfully being vilified for this incredible case of big headed-ness.

• AZ Posted: Jun.22 at 11:36 am
  Lebron is ReallyReallyReallyReallyReallyReallyReallyReallyReallyReallyReallyReallyReallyReallyReallyReallyReallyReallyReallyReallyReally humble

• Blue Posted: Jun.22 at 11:37 am
  He will have em in a few…but not in Cleveland. Sorry, Mr. Ferry…

• Diesel Posted: Jun.22 at 11:38 am
  The guy was wearing this shirt in the middle of the Mediterranean and paparazzi creeped on the guy. Its not like he’s flaunting the shirt while walking into game 7 of a series. Reading way too much into a shirt.

• j gets Posted: Jun.22 at 11:39 am
  its just a tee-shirt get off of his back 4 evry little thing. nobody sed he was perfect

• Flash Posted: Jun.22 at 11:43 am
  SLAM loves lebron james!

• Allenp Posted: Jun.22 at 11:44 am
  I hope Bron comes back next year looking to get even with everybody.
  It’s good for the NBA.

• Jukai Posted: Jun.22 at 11:46 am
  Is it wrong that I found his T-Shirt hysterical?

• jumpman3224 Posted: Jun.22 at 11:46 am
  actually d-fish was wearing that different tee at the parade too
  http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3333/3636715676_4fc7ed57ae.jpg?v=0

• Flash Posted: Jun.22 at 11:52 am
  Lebron’s a jerk!, you don’t see tiger wearing best golfer in the world shirts… stay humble you

• Moose Posted: Jun.22 at 11:54 am
  Ryne, thanks a lot for this post. I agree with everything in here; as a huge Bron fan.

• Reflex Posted: Jun.22 at 12:00 pm
  Kobe haters would lose their god damn mind if he did this…my 2 cents, not sure what LeBron is trying to prove with this and the MVP shirt, every knows what he’s about but where he’s at right now the only thing he should be checking for are rings, rings & more rings, until which he should keep his head down and keep working. This just makes him look like a somewhat petty attention seeker

• Z Posted: Jun.22 at 12:00 pm
  @ Flash: you might if you would track him down on a cruise in the middle of the offseason. i wear stupid shirts all the time when I’m not in the office. can he live? / im kinda glad that some people are turning on him, the ride has been a little too easy. you need to face doubt and adversity to bring the best out of you. if the vince deal goes through… man, i don’t even know what to say. it’s gonna be quite a sight to behold.

• riggs Posted: Jun.22 at 12:01 pm
  Id be more embarrassed to go out in those shorts.

• Reflex Posted: Jun.22 at 12:02 pm
  That being said, it’s all fun & games and has me craving for the 2009/10 to start now!

• Russ Bengtson Posted: Jun.22 at 12:14 pm
  I’m not seeing how Wilt holding up a piece of paper that someone wrote “100″ on right after the game where he scored 100 compares at all. The story as I’ve heard it (from Wikipedia): “It was a matter of improvisation: when Warriors PR manager Harvey Pollack entered the Warriors locker, he took a paper and scribbled the number on it, and an Associated Press photographer who was there at the game (not for professional reasons, but rather because he wanted to give his son a treat) took the photo.” That said, to make an issue of a t-shirt when it’s being worn by a guy who prefers the nickname “King James,” meh. Wonder how “Emperor Jordan” and “Lord Russell” feel about that?

• Jackie Moon Posted: Jun.22 at 12:16 pm
  Pau was also wearing a different tee.

• chris g Posted: Jun.22 at 12:18 pm
  Did LeBron’s publicist have you write this?

• adelpho3 Posted: Jun.22 at 12:18 pm
  wow he’s the NBA’s big baby and david stern can’t stand when lebron losses

• Fat Lever Posted: Jun.22 at 12:20 pm
  Remember, he’s just 24 years old, and from the gate, he’s been told he’s The One, the savior, the man. Let’s see how most of yall would carry yourselves under those circumstances. That being said, I don’t agree with his self-serving, self-promotion tendencies he’s been putting out there, but I understand why.

• Brian Posted: Jun.22 at 12:23 pm
  I would say Bird and Magic were more accomplished by the age of 24. Their stats were not inflated by these bogus rules either, they earned theirs.

• TADOne Posted: Jun.22 at 12:24 pm
  ………..

• hoopiquity Posted: Jun.22 at 12:28 pm
  Bron can do no wrong, c’mon at 40 mil he has every right to wear this tee. where can I get one! haha, LMAO, riggs, the shorts are sick. Bring on the ego, and bring on the $tats.

• Word of God Posted: Jun.22 at 12:31 pm
  LeBron can do anything he wants and its none of our business. Just enjoy LeBron the baller.

• jdstorm Posted: Jun.22 at 12:33 pm
  @Brian
  though i agree with you, about bird and magic being the real deal. the speed of play was faster, so comparatively their stats were inflated just like the Phoenix suns. therefore they would probably be similar. playing then or now.

• jay Posted: Jun.22 at 12:37 pm
  I have no problem with that shirt…and I will check them, doublecheck them & triple check them just to be sure.

• Daniel Posted: Jun.22 at 12:38 pm
  LeBron may be told he’s the savior, but that doesn’t mean he has to act like it.

• Kas Posted: Jun.22 at 12:39 pm
  everybody has to realize that lebron is a great athlete, with average skills and one of the best jump-shots in cleveland’s frontcourt. But he is nothing special, has yet to win, and is a giant douche. end of story

• karen Posted: Jun.22 at 12:45 pm
  HAHAHAH douche! Who wear’s stuff like that…LBJ MVP and now this crap…give me a bleeping break!
  This is not the only thing he does or say…he says alot of stuff like i am a winner…plz boo you havent won shyt yet.

• Pardeep Posted: Jun.22 at 12:47 pm
  SLAM LOVES LEBRON. If Kobe did this there would by 350 comments right now and about 300 would be negative hate. LeBron is not the best in the world. Why can’t people start treating James like they treated young Kobe? James has not faced any adversaty throughout his career so far and if he does he wont be able to handle it like Kobe.

• karen Posted: Jun.22 at 12:51 pm
  I think slam actually thinks he is a real king PLZ.

• ber Posted: Jun.22 at 12:53 pm
  Sorry, but nobody’s ego deserves a pass.

• casey Posted: Jun.22 at 1:02 pm
  I don’t care who it is the article is about. We, as a people, need to stop caring so much about what our “icons” are doing/eating/wearing/banging/whatever. They have lives and do stupid things just like we all do. Apparently, our lives are so boring that we have to start paying close attention to what all the people in the publics’ eyes are doing. Wise up people, WHO CARES WHAT T-SHIRT SOMEBODY IS WEARING!?

• nicole Posted: Jun.22 at 1:02 pm
  someone needs to make a 4 rings shirt for lebron
  …except his shirt would only have a hand on it

• Holy Baller Posted: Jun.22 at 1:06 pm
  LeBron has the right. He is arguably the first or second best player in the world, and may be in the top five that have ever played the game when his career is finished. He seems like a good guy, his teammates love him and rave about him, and he hasn’t been in trouble with the law yet (besides speeding like crazy). As far as Kobe goes, Kobe was an absolute jack@ss when he was young in the league. He WASN’T a good guy, and his teammates didn’t like him either. So give LeBron a break. He’s easily one of the most recognizable people in the world. No one here can truthfully say that they wouldn’t have a big ego.

• TADOne Posted: Jun.22 at 1:11 pm
  It is a f*cking shirt!! Honestly, who cares?? I know I don’t.

• Canuck Posted: Jun.22 at 1:14 pm
  I agree with Casey 100%. To be honest when I saw the picture I could not stop laughing it’s actually a pretty funny shirt. Maybe he meant for it to be funny. Maybe as many of you want to believe he’s an absolute prick. But really, who gives a sweet fig what the guy’s wearing. When you see someone wearing those funny t-shirts like I am like a superhero, do you look at them and see them as a complete arrogant prick? Of couse you don’t. It’s just a guy wearing a shirt. Nobody has any idea what LeBron meant by wearing this shirt. I hardly think he meant that he thinks he’s better than everyone by wearing this. It’s a freaking T-SHIRT.

• the big ticket Posted: Jun.22 at 1:16 pm
  i think jumpman3224 summed it up right there pointing out SLAM’s wrong facts trying to emthasie a useless article

• doyouwantmore Posted: Jun.22 at 1:16 pm
  People don’t hate on Tim Duncan because he’s humble. People LOVE Tim Duncan because he’s humble, and a proven winner. Check his stats. People hate on Tim Duncan because he doesn’t feed into all the bull**** and because there is a type of basketball “fan” that only understands showboating, big necklaces, and big dunks. Lebron is almost as talented as he is ridiculous.

• S. Trotter Posted: Jun.22 at 1:19 pm
  This seems like a media so in need of a contraversy they report on a guys t-shirt. A 24 year old, millionaire, basketball phenom, who has been set up to be everything to this sport, has an ego. SHOCKER!

• Debarge Posted: Jun.22 at 1:21 pm
  Check My $tats! Lol, how lame….

• LexLuther Posted: Jun.22 at 1:25 pm
  people need to hop off of lebron’s sack. He is the greatest player in the league, and by far the best 24 year old the league has ever seen and probably will ever see. The teams he’s dragged to the conference finals the last couple years says something.I seem to remember Kobe getting his butt handed to him by phoenix in the first round a couple years back. Lebron doesnt know what thats like. He will win a championship (or 5) in the coming decade until then haters need to relax he’s 24 years old.

• Bruno, RJ Posted: Jun.22 at 1:31 pm
  he is the perfect picture of his generation.
  cngrats to all the dumb ppl that overates the bit(th that much.
  in other news… the most hated, but most talented player in the world got his 4th ring…

• Quail Posted: Jun.22 at 1:39 pm
  i found this out when MJ was inducted into the HOF and said “my career speaks for itself”…

• Allenp Posted: Jun.22 at 2:02 pm
  Bron don’t need your love…

• James the balla Posted: Jun.22 at 2:09 pm
  Co-sign Russ … it’s 100 points on a piece of paper. I think what this article was really suppose to say is “I love bron, but Kobe is a d1ck”. It is pretty obvious.

• Trey Posted: Jun.22 at 2:27 pm
  Lebron is a beast with a close group of friends (from grade school). With professional basketball/football and all of pro athletes killing people with their Bentley’s (Donte Stallworth), shooting pit bulls (Vick), getting caught with cocaine (Matt Jones & numerous others). THIS IS ALL YOU GUYS CAN HATE ABOUT LEBRON is his “check my stats shirt” and not shaking hands after a loss. HE will continue to MATURE. BUT he lives in a bubble and unfortunately our society puts athletes on a ridiculously high pedestal But if you were to check his stats there are the best stats sense the BIG O (Oscar Robertson)
  And Oscar had the best season in NBA History

• larrylegend Posted: Jun.22 at 2:31 pm
  the best…? well, the best paid!

• Canuck Posted: Jun.22 at 2:31 pm
  It.Is.A.T-Shirt.

• Russ Bengtson Posted: Jun.22 at 2:32 pm
  This reminds me, I have to check my brats.

• JE Posted: Jun.22 at 2:33 pm
  Kobe looks fu(king huge in that parade picture.

• Nima Zarrabi Posted: Jun.22 at 2:40 pm
  @ Russ B: Fantastic point about Wilt, dude. Well said. Way to get the discussion rolling, Ryne. Nice work. @ Riggs: You’re right on those shorts. So whack. There are numerous options out there for board shorts/swim trunks. I realize its tougher for a 6-8, 270-pound wildabeast, but come on, bud.

• weezy f. leezy Posted: Jun.22 at 2:55 pm
  how old is lebron? ..leave the young fella alone…what do u expect. he’s on biggie jayz nas status..the best of his era. the boy got that swagg

• Bigi Posted: Jun.22 at 2:56 pm
  Somehow this is all Kobe Bryant’s fault…

• cassie Posted: Jun.22 at 2:58 pm
  ohhh my god stfu are u serious its just a t-shirt there just hacking on the man bcuz unlike kobe he doesnt have 4 rings so wat hes 24 he got a while to go

• Bigi Posted: Jun.22 at 3:03 pm
  And how the h*ll there is no link about Shaq?!?!?!

• Peter B Posted: Jun.22 at 3:08 pm
  Lebron appears to be feeling very insecure about kobe’s new championship ring, he needs to rewind those final tapes, then he might have the epiphany that star’s usually win chips when they allow their stats to take a hit for the sake of team success. Your stats say ZERO rings lebron.

• Jacob Posted: Jun.22 at 3:09 pm
  I want that shirt

• The Seed Posted: Jun.22 at 3:10 pm
  He has an ego, I know Kobe, Jordan, Magic, Zeke had it too. But lets be honest here, how many players do you see wearing dumb shirts, like this one and the LBJ MVP shirt. He is too full of himself and Pride to me will eventually be his downfall. I know people are saying its just a shirt, but you can tell alot about people,by what they say and how they promote themself. Lebron wants this attention, maybe he needs a father figure or something, but to me this is sad, because he is arrogant and who isn’t, but do I wear shirts saying check my paper and Lebron your stats are good, but lets get a ring first, Prince James. Also this article is a joke, stop sucking up to Lebron. Remember Lebron is only 8 spots above Nash on the all time 50 list, so this is to much exposure anyway, for number 42.

• travis Posted: Jun.22 at 3:19 pm
  as mentioned, fisher also wore that same kobe shirt…also pau, and ariza, among others wore nike shirts that had what looked like a bottle cap that said “carpe diem” on the top of it.

• Esco Posted: Jun.22 at 3:22 pm
  The Seed really has issues. Everyone wears a dumb shirt once in a while, including yourself I would assume. Kobe isn’t full of himself? Shouldn’t he be proud of his achievements thus far? F*ck it, with his stats I would most probably wear the same thing. And what does LeBron maybe needing a father-figure have to do with him wearing this shirt? And how, in your mind, are you able to find a connection between this t-shirt and his rating on the Slam Top 50? I would guess you have LeBron and Kobe on Google alerts. LeBron for hating, and Kobe for your own private nighttime activities. You, sir, need to GTFOH. It’s a shirt.

• Statik Posted: Jun.22 at 3:26 pm
  Somehow we all forget Kobe rocked his own NIKE-MADE MVP SHIRT last year…and Jack Nich proudly displayed it on the sidelines. I don’t remember TMZ or anyone else tracking him down to see if he was wearin it and callin him arrogant for it. Guess that means I need to throw out my “Compared to you, I’m Einstein” tee now

• Spaceship Jay Posted: Jun.22 at 3:26 pm
  He’s 24. At 24 with that bball-godlike ability my hands would be constantly occupied. One with a bottle of Cris, and another to guide the Piss. Be easy.. Yeah he gets over jocked sometimes, but he’s on his way to greatness and hasn’t done anything stupendously reckless in his personal life. He looks like he’s on the right track to me.

• underdog Posted: Jun.22 at 3:28 pm
  Well, bball ain’t all about stats & $. Those won’t make you a legend.

• j4zzm4n Posted: Jun.22 at 3:28 pm
  dude’s ego is ridiculous.until he wins a ring i don’t care how good he is,arrogance is never a quality,humility is the mark of a great man.a humble superstar now that is the mark of true greatness that goes beyond the sport.

• Anton Posted: Jun.22 at 3:32 pm
  Does anyone else find it strange to see Jordan doing Hanes commercials after years of inactivity? Someone’s been gambling again…

• Teddy-the-Bear Posted: Jun.22 at 4:20 pm
  Its a shirt that says “Check the Stats”. Okay. Anybody hear the one about the guy, doing that thing that one time? That thing?

• zack vank Posted: Jun.22 at 4:22 pm
  The Wilt photo is a flawed comparison. There are interviews with Wilt in which he acknowledges that he was exhausted at the end of the game and wasn’t terribly interested in scoring 100, but the crowd began to sense the possibility and he decided to take a shot at it. I’ve read a couple different lines from him suggesting that, if anything, he was somewhat embarrassed by the occasion; he particularly pointed out that he had to shoot the ball something like sixty times, and that nobody would’ve wanted to play with him. Furthermore, to compare him holding up a plain sheet of paper with the number 100 on it immediately following his godlike, record setting game (something, mind you, that is more individually impressive than anything LeBron has ever accomplished) to James cavorting around in self-laudatory t-shirts after a colossal failure in the playoffs is selling short the subtle differences between pride and arrogance.

• Orlando Green Posted: Jun.22 at 4:33 pm
  Ryan I sure hope you aren’t in charge of this summer’s top 50 players list, cause Kobe is still the best bball player in the world.

• Orlando Green Posted: Jun.22 at 4:34 pm
  Ryne my bad

• BostonBaller Posted: Jun.22 at 4:45 pm
  He is young, a part of this generations me first mindset and yes it’s only a shirt and if that’s how he wants to express himself then so be it. The shirt was appropriate for him since he will go for his own Sports Center dunk on a break rather than pass it to a player ahead of him. It’s not like he can wear a championship shirt. The analogies in the story were all off. I “think” everyone who has 4 rings wore one or just Kobe & DFish. The Wilt piece was flat wrong and Russ cleared that up. Jordan was arrogant to a point but he wasn’t self promoting AND his career does speak…loudly. Neither Bird or Magic sought the limelight off court so that too was a shaky piece in the article.

• Max Posted: Jun.22 at 4:45 pm
  Im truly enjoying this comment section.
  Just a quick question: Could one of you people that have already read lebrons autobiography/biography just quickly tell me how many rings he will win and in which year he will pass jordan as being the best player EVA? I’ve been looking for that book forever, but so far the only one I could find was the one from 2009, when he had 1 mvp trophy and yeah… a whole lot of talent that MIGHT translate into _______ (fill in whatever fits ya)
  Oh I’m sorry, i guess my comment was a little off-topic, i forgot that that the article was about a T-SHIRT!!!

• Max Posted: Jun.22 at 4:46 pm
  I want to hear what Brendan Haywood thinks about this. Skip Bayless we already know, since his clones seem rampant on this thread (including silly “no daddy” theories and “Prince James” namecalling).

• Max7 Posted: Jun.22 at 4:48 pm
  Looks like there’s more than one Max here. Time for a new handle.

• BostonBaller Posted: Jun.22 at 4:51 pm
  As far as the NIKE-MADE MVP SHIRT of Kobe’s goes: It was an advertisement from his sponsor that depicted an award he had won. Another bad analogy. Stats is a shirt plenty of guys can wear in their own right. ANTON: great way to try and slide negativity to MJ to justify a shirt. 1 was self promotion and the other I’m sure was pure business (Hanes)There is nothing wrong with James’ shirt and I hope no one freaks if he wears an MVP shirt b/c he was the MVP after all. I hope he and Kobe rock the Nike Puppet shirts an a commercial together.

• Nbk Posted: Jun.22 at 4:58 pm
  Nike to lebron– “wear this shirt, it’s gonna start a rucus but when it calms down we will release it in stores and you’ll get a cut”
  Lebron — so I’m gettin paid for this. Haters cAn hate ima get paid…. Some mor The more you people hate on lebron the more popular he’s gonna be. Hate on

• Z Posted: Jun.22 at 4:58 pm
  ’sensitive thugs, ya all need hugs’ he’s on a freaking boat on the côte d’azur with a bunch of his friends wearing a funny tee and some paparazzo takes a snap and it’s a story! how’s the lbj mvp any different than the t-shirts and shoes nike made for kobe’s 81? it’s MARKETING ppl! by the same freaking brand! i’ve said it then and i’m saying it now: wake me up when this dude does something serious. he hasn’t broken any laws or even gone to court (unlike A LOT of his fellow all-stars). i’ll sleep on this.

• Lee Posted: Jun.22 at 5:10 pm
  With $40mil a year I would expect Bron to wear something nice rather than a shirt his sons could have made. Anyway is Bron becoming a villain of the NBA? What is all this hate for the player everybody wants to play with? I thought people only hated Kobe! And if Bron wins one with Shaq, I hope the whole “can’t win without Shaq” follows him for 7 years.

• Sarah Posted: Jun.22 at 5:11 pm
  Hall of Fame players can and do come without ego. See: David Robinson. Duncan in the future as well. There is no one way to be. Every time I see Kobe practically watching himself in the camera I can’t help but feel that he grew up thinking that was the way a superstar was supposed to act. But by all means, let’s perpetuate that way of thinking. Furthermore, I don’t care enough about LeBron to be extremely angry about his refusal to shake hands. It’s just wrong. Simple and plain. And even the “G.O.A.T.” would tell you so. From page 52 of his book, For the Love of the Game, “When that happened, when we broke through and swept [the Pistons] four straight in the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals, the leaders of that team showed their true colors. They acted like a bunch of spoiled brats who didn’t get their way. They lost a lot of respect by walking off the floor and not shaking our hands. No one remembers Joe Dumars, John Salley, and Vinnie Johnson coming over and congratulating us after the game. All anyone remembers is their leaders, Isiah Thomas, Bill Laimbeer, and Mark Aguirre, walking right past our bench as the final seconds ticked off. They weren’t sportsmen. They either didn’t understand or didn’t care about sportsmanship. That’s not how the game should be played. You have the obligation to demonstrate good sportsmanship. That’s the American way.”

• Sarah Posted: Jun.22 at 5:11 pm
  Hall of Fame players can and do come without ego. See: David Robinson. Duncan in the future as well. There is no one way to be. Every time I see Kobe practically watching himself in the camera I can’t help but feel that he grew up thinking that was the way a superstar was supposed to act. But by all means, let’s perpetuate that way of thinking. Furthermore, I don’t care enough about LeBron to be extremely angry about his refusal to shake hands. It’s just wrong. Simple and plain. And even the “G.O.A.T.” would tell you so. From page 52 of his book, For the Love of the Game, “When that happened, when we broke through and swept [the Pistons] four straight in the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals, the leaders of that team showed their true colors. They acted like a bunch of spoiled brats who didn’t get their way. They lost a lot of respect by walking off the floor and not shaking our hands. No one remembers Joe Dumars, John Salley, and Vinnie Johnson coming over and congratulating us after the game. All anyone remembers is their leaders, Isiah Thomas, Bill Laimbeer, and Mark Aguirre, walking right past our bench as the final seconds ticked off. They weren’t sportsmen. They either didn’t understand or didn’t care about sportsmanship. That’s not how the game should be played. You have the obligation to demonstrate good sportsmanship. That’s the American way.”

• Allenp Posted: Jun.22 at 6:02 pm
  I really hope people keep taking shots at Lebron.
  I think it will make him better. It’s time for him to drop the smiles and nice guy facade and get mean as hell. I look forward to what a mean and focused Lebron can do to other players.
  He just needs to get those post moves together.

• B. Long Posted: Jun.22 at 6:10 pm
  People really care about this? I don’t.

• Slick Nick Da Ruler Posted: Jun.22 at 6:13 pm
  Kobe was wearing a LeBron mask in the mediterranean. Hater ass Kobe.

• Max7 Posted: Jun.22 at 6:13 pm
  Sarah, thank you for that lecture. I agree that Lebron should emulate the G.O.A.T.. Therefore, in the future he should wear an American flag to cover the t-shirt when paparazzi approach him. That’s the American way.

• BostonBaller Posted: Jun.22 at 6:20 pm
  Not really Mr. Long, people like to complain..

• Los Posted: Jun.22 at 6:24 pm
  to all you kobe lovers. How far would Kobe have gone with the same team as Lebron? Give Lebron the team Kobe has and they don’t lose a single game.

• Jackie Moon Posted: Jun.22 at 6:34 pm
  To Los: I have no idea how far Kobe would have gone with the same team as Lebron. Maybe the Cavs would win the title? That would be pure speculation. I only know what did happen, in our reality, not some fantasy.

• Los Posted: Jun.22 at 6:50 pm
  fair enough Jackie, but to anyone who says Lebron hasn’t done anything. Look at the garbage team he has. And unlike Kobe, he “quit” on his team after the game was over. Not during it like Kobe did two years ago.

• CF98 Posted: Jun.22 at 6:57 pm
  I do think if Kobe did this we’d never hear the end of it but at the same time its a shirt and honestly LeBron can wear whatever he wants its not as if a vulgarity is on it. No folks don’t hate Tim Duncan he’s too boring to hate. That’s also a reason why he doesn’t get that many endorsements either dude has no personality.

• that dude Posted: Jun.22 at 7:07 pm
  The problem is in the sentiment of the argument. So because all Hall of Fame players have an ego, we should not have a problem with Lebron’s? Although all of us accept the notion of the ‘ego driven athlete’ and most of us don’t care that much about it, we at least can and should acknowledge that these are unhonorable traits.

• la huey Posted: Jun.22 at 7:09 pm
  lbj stan here. its good to see more and more haters. it usually means people feel their rooting interests are threatened by his capabilities.

• davidR Posted: Jun.22 at 7:35 pm
  do people hate manny pacquiao because he’s too humble?

• Guam Posted: Jun.22 at 7:42 pm
  nobody hates pacquiao

• Teddy-the-Bear Posted: Jun.22 at 7:48 pm
  What the heck did the Wilt photo have to do with anything? Has LeBron scored 100 points? Not that his shirt matters at all, either.

• chazz michael michaels Posted: Jun.22 at 7:54 pm
  lebron has a t-shirt that says “check out my ring…. oh wait! thats right i dont have one!”

• chazz michael michaels Posted: Jun.22 at 7:54 pm
  lebron has a t-shirt that says “check out my ring…. oh wait! thats right i dont have one!”

• Moose Posted: Jun.22 at 8:42 pm
  ^LeBron has a t-shirt that says, “I’m 24 years old, not even in my prime, 7 years younger than Kobe and has never had a good supporting cast”.^

• B. Long Posted: Jun.22 at 8:52 pm
  ^That’s funny because before the Conf. finals everybody thought his supporting cast was good enough to win a Chip then. But I guess since they didn’t Mo Williams blows goats for quarters now.

• Moose Posted: Jun.22 at 9:03 pm
  ^Exactly. Will LBJ ever have a good supporting cast? Hmmmm. Bron, forgot the athlete billionaire thing. Take a cut from your outrageous pay to get some goddamn teammates. And B, something new on Bachi that you might want to check.^

• Tal Posted: Jun.22 at 9:27 pm
  Dude Wilt didn’t have video of the highest record scoring in the nba. Youre telling me taking ONE picture with a 100 on a piece of paper as one piece of memorabilia is selfindulgent? Ridiculous. LeBron is just an attention whore, and a bit whiney with that shirt. Also the bad supporting cast is a dumb ass excuse because all throughout the year they were jerking off to the fact that the Cavs were the ones to beat and how LeBron makes his teammates better. You can’t change your stance the second things get tough.

• Jesse Posted: Jun.22 at 9:37 pm
  …7 years …4 rings …long road

• Rnz Posted: Jun.22 at 9:43 pm
  Over a shirt, people?…come on…

• Antwonomous Posted: Jun.22 at 10:03 pm
  Like, I’m not trying to instigate or anything like that, but have you guys been reading David Friedman’s 20 Second Timeout blog? You guys are in his cross-hairs, along with John Krolik and ESPN. You might want to check it out, David has thrown some heat SLAM/SLAM ONLINE’s way.

• Jose Posted: Jun.22 at 10:38 pm
  Tim Duncan is humble. Russell too.

• Los Posted: Jun.22 at 10:43 pm
  Lebro’s supporting cast was exposed in the play-offs. at the beginning of the year everyone was on the Laker bandwagon. and being the shirt says $tats and not stats, its about money and not sports. either way its just a shirt. Lebron will get his. trust

• Todd Spehr Posted: Jun.22 at 10:46 pm
  Ego, confidence, arrogance: It’s all stuff you associate with stars. What’s the big deal? There’s a tiny sample of superstars that don’t have much self-confidence. Jerry West, maybe, for example. I mean, look at Federer when he walked out to center court yesterday at Wimbledon - gold Nike bag, complete with his initials on it. It’s part of sport. Also, where can I get that shirt?

• Zee Posted: Jun.22 at 10:56 pm
  Hakeem Olajuan blows up your entire argument.

• HushD Posted: Jun.22 at 11:06 pm
  I hope we can all agree that we have the ability to discern differences in traits and that relativity allows us to debate the issue. That is, we utilize scale to size up a player’s ability such as the 50 best etc. The ego level has a degree as well. For instance while LeBron has an ego, Kobe is the only player I know of who is capable of patting himself on the back while performing auto-fellatio. That guy is talented!

• LeWho Posted: Jun.22 at 11:18 pm
  Umm if my math is correct LeBron will have to win 4 of the next 6 ‘chips to be on Kobe’s level when he’s 30. Personally I’m not seeing it. He may be the greatest athlete on the planet but his skill level will never match KB24.

• wilz Posted: Jun.22 at 11:39 pm
  ill pass on the lebron circle jerk..i didnt realize I was going to read a love letter instead of an article.
  nice T tho

• nate the great Posted: Jun.23 at 12:33 am
  its ok for kobe and derek fisher for wearing shirts like that, i mean they WON a title, your supposed to celebrate and brag. i mean look at paul pierce saying he was the best in the world last year.
  but bron hasnt really done anything. check his stats? yeah nba titles 0. I mean if were saying mvp’s are great, my man steve nash has 2.
  he doesnt go around wearing shirts like that. he doesnt do anything fancy. he’s like tim duncan.
  this guy, idk what it is about him. i hate him.
  i repect his skills, and i kno he is good, but i just hate him.

• Harrell Posted: Jun.23 at 1:23 am
  Dam nate that be a little ruf but WHY IS THERE A ARTICLE ABOUT FN T-SHIRTS? Oh I know because Bron is no longer the Anakain Skywalker but we already got Vader. His name is Kobe

• PeeDee Posted: Jun.23 at 1:56 am
  Wow, so muchcrap put into so few words. respect!!! a few topics…. Wilts pic: he scored 100 points!!!! e record that is lasting generations!!!! and the only thing he does is holding up a peace of paper with just that acomplishment on it… jordan: check your mag!!! you got this guy at the #1 spot and the other guy “just made it in”…and by the way, the term “jordan rules” wasnt his idea, it was createt by his opponents and THTS an accomplishement itself!!!! Kobe&fish: very simple, THEY HAVE 4 RINGS!!! why shouldt they point out four fingers??? thers endles pics of repeating champs, holding up more than one finger while not everyone on the team has won that much…and comearing the “pre-nba-hype” of kobe to that of lebron is like compearing switzerland to texas!!! “what would you do if everyone told you youre the best, its not easy for lebron?” - ARE YOU SERIOUSE???? like PE would say: “dont belive the hype! and this whole-”no one has acomplished what lebron has acomplished at 24″-is just so redicouluse!!! you cant compare generations, SPECIALY THE MEDIA!!! 70% of the hype came from this mag!!!! darius miles, sebastian telfair, andrew bynum etc. they all scored theire first NBA-point before jordan and wilt, so that means in historical-content theyre better than him???? …but i guess i have now idea of just how gooooooood lebron is and how one day he`ll be averaging a quadruble-double whil3e defending “his titel” for the 15th time in a row….whateva

• Blinguo Posted: Jun.23 at 2:00 am
  “Ma dollar sign E, fear no man.” Ma$e lookin beach (bum) wear t-shirts in 2009, and links to TMZ stories, Offseason doldrums. Hey at least it wasn’t the most infamous Ma$e line: “Young black and famous, with money hanging out the anus.” I think those rap-graphs were linked on here and there was one with the %’s of where Mase’s money is kept. So LeBron should have went with the T&C designs Maui Shark? 90’s NBA player muscle tanktop? (add checkered/stripe print muscle gym pants and plastic shades for full effect - Shaq thought he was doin’ it back then with that outfit)

• Blinguo Posted: Jun.23 at 2:03 am
  LRG also has out some T-shirts w/ cartoon pandas with surfboards on them. & a California wave one. “Street wear.” Looks like LeBron’s shirt came from cafepress and his own printed up one, not like Nike putting this shirt out specifically for him or something. Right? If not, stop it Nike.

• RedGold&Green Posted: Jun.23 at 3:59 am
  The King…holla!

• Freedom Fries Posted: Jun.23 at 5:00 am
  Both Lebron’s and Kobe’s T shirts are hysterical. Good for them. Lebron keeping in real in Freedom-land. Where else would you go peoples? j/k

• Marvz Posted: Jun.23 at 10:50 am
  Granted, all superstars are arrogant due to their insatiable desire to win. But do they get the same treatment? Jordan was arrogant, and he wasn’t blasted. Kobe is arrogant, and is hated. LeBron has always been arrogant, but was only chastised now. If only people will judge them equally then all will be fine. And Lebron vs Kobe debate is very absurd. What I’m seeing right now is LeBron making the same mistakes that Kobe did when he was young. Conclusion? LeBron is still learning and evolving as a player and we can’t properly decide until both players have ended their careers. Still, it’s hard to compare them due to their difference in skill and position. Honestly, since when have you heard people debating that Chamberlain is better than Mike?

• Los Posted: Jun.23 at 10:55 am
  to Lewho: Jump off Kobe’s sack. Kobe nad Shaq, Horry, and Fisher. Lebron hasn’t had any one help him.

• Sesa Posted: Jun.23 at 11:03 am
  Okay, he wore a T-Shirt with a stupid sayings on it. It wasn’t a crime. The real crime were his refusal to shake hands, that’s it. There’s no need to put him under the microscope too much

• bill breedley Posted: Jun.23 at 11:19 am
  Los you douche. last month all you bron jockers were saying mo,delonte and those other bums were the best team in the league. Whatever happened to Bron makes em better bullcrap? 2 years ago bynum, trevor and lamar were bums. last year pau was soft and fish was old. hence, kobe makes his team better apparently since he led them to the gold. blah blah blah. its all about the results. til bron gets ring he will be queen crab dribble aka the king without a ring

• Chendaddy Posted: Jun.23 at 11:21 am
  LeBron volunteers at a local Cleveland soup kitchen wearing a “I Make Lots and Lots of Money” t-shirt.

• Logan Posted: Jun.23 at 1:49 pm
  all lebron cares about is being the highest paid athlete. he is not humble at all, and he thinks he’s cool cause he does his pre game throw the chalk up in the air, when he copied it from kg who first did it back in sota.

• Mel Posted: Jun.23 at 2:54 pm
  wat was sed that lbj WASNT there 4 his team is bull****, he is the ONLY player 2 hav averaged 40-8-8 in history…25 points isnt a bad game, in fact its rlly gud. the 1 hu let the team down was the team…no1 stud in howards way, z only had 2 point etso dont say its LBJ fault!

• Rock Posted: Jun.23 at 4:27 pm
  Listen up close …Lebron is 24 years old..hes a hillarious person..and a Very nice guy and has a ton of fun playing basketball..give him time to grow up…and on vacation everyone wheres Dum$#@it tshirts …get off his stuff..he shook my hand after i said he had a nice game…hes a decent person ..and hes smart enough not to get married and have hoes on the side like somone im not gonna mention.

• Johnny Posted: Jun.23 at 4:29 pm
  where can i get one of these shirts???

• mendeezy Posted: Jun.23 at 5:01 pm
  people who say lebron shouldn’t be this arrogant because he only has an mvp and no title are STUPID. charles barkley never got a ring, was an mvp, and he was just as arrogant. lebron never even talks trash to his opponent (or very little). well at least compared to players such as barkley, jordan, kobe, shaq, etc. i’ve even seen d-wade dunk on someone and taunt him, receiving a technical foul in the process lol.

• mendeezy Posted: Jun.23 at 5:04 pm
  o and i don’t get what it means when it said “he wasn’t there when they needed him the most.” it’s not like anyone died. it’s not like he was going to go and hug everyone to make the loss feel better. that makes no sense. it was right after the elimination loss. i bet no other cav wanted to talk to anyone after, they just did or they’d get fined (like lebron did). they probably got together after or whatever. the time they needed him the most was not the press-conference after the game, but rather during gameplay the entire season and playoffs.

• coltdaddy Posted: Jun.23 at 5:31 pm
  come on if you have millions and one of the best players in the world you would have a big ego too but the guy is kinda of a goof and likes too be really goofy and isoutspoken so those kinda people have big egos thats why kobe doesnt have tats like that and is not that outspoken and lebron was there for his team scoring over 35 points every game in that series he was over working himself getting cramps in his legs but he was still lead scorrer if you were going to hate onsomeone that was not there for his team it would be every one besides delonte or lebron. so

• Rock Posted: Jun.23 at 5:39 pm
  To keep it even more real..the real fact is people like the TMZ group, internet, radio and basically huge communication differences..and ALOT of romancing hides how alot of former players really were..people from Cleveland know for a fact guys like Albert Bell ..Manny Ramirez ..Micheal Jordan Etc etc..they were huge F$#@king a$$holes to meet in person..He coulda came up after the game and said the Tim brown “we just lost to a team with no talent” or some other rediculous rude statement..or he could keep his mouth shut and go home so he doesnt make an A@@ out of the organization like all the other athletes wanna do in press confrences..he was Pissed…Cle Barely lost ever single game to a team that can Only shoot threes and a Center who never makes foul shots untill this series..Cleveland had the best record in the NBA so we need to stop saying he did everything and his team sucks and start saying …They lost as a team unit, because of matchup issues ..it woulda been a completely diffrent series between Cleveland and the Lakers..because we can actually Guard Bynum and Gasol

• laFlecha Posted: Jun.23 at 6:36 pm
  LeBron is the best player right now, maybe he hasnt an ego but a pride…lets look at he stats instead of his shirt…then you would know…he is friendly and humble…and amazing, dont forget that!!!!go LBJ go!!

• aj young Posted: Jun.23 at 9:05 pm
  first of all lebron dammmmmm sure aint the best bball playa in the world who ever said that is just stupid yes look at stats kobe had 3 rings when he was 24 so relax and dont forget lets add another one. Lebron needs to work on gettin a WIN in the finals b4 hes the best at anything

• ilikechips Posted: Jun.23 at 9:30 pm
  Maybe Lebron though this shirt would be funny to wear.

• Robb Posted: Jun.23 at 9:30 pm
  Cool article, but Lebron is not the best player in the World dude. He is arguably the best athlete in the NBA, but the best BASKETBALL PLAYER is Kobe. His skills are unparalleled. When Lebron learns to shoot the ball then he will be the best, but as long as he is a “dunks and lay ups” type of player Kobe will be the best

• Jay-G Posted: Jun.24 at 12:24 am
  @Brian: Forgetting about Magic running Westhead out of LA around the time he was 24.

• Brad Posted: Jun.24 at 2:29 am
  “He wasn’t there for his team when it mattered most.” - ummm I’m pretty sure it mattered a whole lot more when they actually played the game as opposed to when the series ended and the Magic won. I agree that LeBron not congratulating the Magic right after Game 6 was not the classiest move in the world. But when it mattered most for his team - was when they were actually playing the games. And last time I checked LeBron was more than “there for his team” just as he has been his whole career. Let’s stop making a mountain out of a molehill here dude. He’s 24, he’s still growing up and learning.

• sean Posted: Jun.24 at 3:59 am
  u guys are pathetic, it is a t-shirt. Lebron is naturally a funny guy. Why do yall analyze everything move he makes so critically? Youre obviously jealous, or you are perfect.

• chintao Posted: Jun.24 at 4:52 am
  All the guys mentioned in this piece can burn in everlasting hell-fire, except for Wilt. That guy will always have my respect.

• HF Posted: Jun.24 at 6:34 am
  A)Derek Fisher wore the same shirt during the parade because he too has four rings.
  B)Kobe is still the best in the league. Get off Bron’s nuts you pube.

• Daniel Posted: Jun.24 at 10:44 am
  I heat Kobe Byant.

• Daniel Posted: Jun.24 at 10:45 am
  I heat Derek Fisher.

• doyouwantmore Posted: Jun.24 at 8:58 pm
  LBJ4LMAO

• nba kid Posted: Jun.25 at 12:51 am
  currently, bron hasn’t even had the career Dirk has: one mvp, a terrible finals performance and getting bounced in the playoffs. no ones ego deserves a pass unless you’ve got 6+ rings and 2+ mvps.

• james johnson Posted: Jun.27 at 4:41 pm
  not one person in the world can hate on lebron james. what arguement do you have? he’s put up amazing stats that only OSCAR ROBERTSON and MJ put up if you noticed kobe wasn’t in there either was magic or bird or any of those greats.he hasn’t won an nba title. ok, but he hasn’t had nearly the supporting cast of kobe or mj or bird or magic or wilt or any great player that has multiple championships. The fact is that even mj the greatest player of all time would never have won one with out pippen. and kobe without shaq or pau he didnt do anything before pau got that and after shaq left. Now we’ll see if lebron can win with a very old shaq who is about half the player he was with kobe.

• keith McGlothin Posted: Jul.6 at 11:49 am
  Nothing James does seems to amaze me, I’ve said all along he gets too much credit when things go good and not enough blame when things go bad. The truth of the matter is, he is who he shows himself to be. He isn’t the greatest or best player on the planet, maybe most exciting, and there is a difference. Maybe he was wearing the shirt there because no one knew or cared who he was, Kobe is king and has da ring. It would have been nice to wear it to a game 7, too bad he couldn’t get past game 5. Nobody wants to come and play with him unless overpaid to do so. No FA has come close to coming here, Shaq was acquired in a trade, though February would have helped much more. I checked your stats, I also witnessed you missing 40 shots in games 3 and 4, free throws included, against Orlando. I know you score a lot, you should! You shoot a lot. I see you don’t rebound on the offensive end, don’t make free throws in the clutch, no top FA’s want to come and run with you, among many others. I’m a Cav’s fan first and foremost. I guess maybe he is just making up for Winslow no longer being in town, he said he was great too. How about you let Shaq do the recruiting from here on out.

• Emon Nazari Posted: Oct.29 at 12:07 am
  Kobe had Pau Gasol, while Lebron went to the finals by himself in 07, but Kobe didn’t, and kobe can’t even past the first round by himself.

• Ricoh Posted: Jan.21 at 4:46 pm
  LEBRON is the best player in the NBA,Kobie is not even close compared to Lebron.He has never had the supported cast as Kobie had when he won the Chamopionships with the big fellow(Shaq) in his prime. Lebron is stats stuffer,he average almost a triple double every game, almost since he’s been in the league,he is the most dominant player in the game.KObie changed his once sullen mean personality ,because Lebron is so well liked by all the players.The tee shirt is merely stated a fact. The teacher reminds of tv show I watched when I was kid,The Real Mccoy’s,The grandfather in the show would always say “no brag just facts”. People with ego’s shoot all the time, with low percentage, like Kobie.