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Is LeBron James a Sore Loser For Not Shaking Hands?
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by Jon Azpiri | June 2, 2009 at 09:55 am
1392 views | 1 Recommendation | 9 comments
Now that the Cleveland Cavaliers have been knocked out of the NBA playoffs, many are commenting not on LeBron James' performance, but how he refused to shake hands with Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic after the Cavs loss.
After the Cavs were eliminated by the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals, LeBron James left the court without shaking hands with his opponents. He also refused to speak to reporters after the game.
Not surprisingly, several sports columnists lost their minds, saying that LeBron was unsportsmanlike. ESPN's Skip Bayless chimed in with his normal holier-than-thou whining.
LeBron should be better than that. He said he e-mailed Dwight Howard after the game. Howard deserved better than that, Orlando deserved better and next time, LeBron James should do better.
Others point out that there's nothing wrong with what James did. So he doesn't exactly feel like shaking hands with the team that just beat him. Isn't that kind of competitive fire the kind of thing you look for in a franchise player?
We want them to show emotion, to be real and unscripted, and yet we also demand they act like perfect gentlemen, to spend two hours trying to annihilate each other and then meet at the net with a pat on the back -- "good show, old chap."I, for one, was pleased to see the excruciatingly controlled King James show that he does bleed like the rest of us.
Walking off without shaking hands is not exactly new. The Detroit Pistons famously walked off the court during the dying seconds of the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals without shaking hands with the Chicago Bulls.
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at 13:25 on June 2nd, 2009
He is not only a sore loser, but a very poor sport. I hope the NBA rethinks it's need to crown him "king" as i would not want any kid i coach to be like him!
at 18:51 on June 2nd, 2009
A BIG LOSER JAMES...
at 03:23 on June 3rd, 2009
that million dollar baby is called "the king"? my 3 year old cousin is a better sport than that.. the only difference is hes not potty trained yet.. well.. who knows, maybe lebron shares some similarities with my gramps
at 04:16 on June 3rd, 2009
There is nothing wrong if you dont shake your hands with your opponent after the game. It doesnt mean that you dont respect your opponent, but the thing is its a competition. getting kicked in yo home court aint nice... trust me... i'd do the same thing too..
at 16:36 on June 3rd, 2009
i'm sorry i have to disagree. there really IS something called sportsmanship.!!!!!! If you dont understand that then there's something wrong.......theres something about respect............
at 11:56 on June 3rd, 2009
I say, let's err on the side of charity and mercy and cut Lebron some slack. Dwell in mercy and nonjudgmentalness, in freedom and love.
at 15:55 on June 4th, 2009
if you want respect you should give respect and no respect was given to orlando the night that the cavs lost,he gets no mercy from me i hate his attitude
at 08:16 on June 4th, 2009
He's not Kobe..
at 15:50 on June 4th, 2009
i not only think that lebron james is a sore loser but i think ha is a conceited a-hole and i think that the media should rethink the name he's been given-KING JAMES-this guy has no class,and he didnt show any respect for orlando magics team and i think he set a bad example for the children that look up to him,i also feel that the cavs were poorly represented