Tag Archives: LeBron James

Donald Trump, Sports news

LeBron’s noble act gets lost in the Twitter storm

Seemingly lost in all the hubbub over Donald J. Trump’s tweet about LeBron James and Don Lemon has been the noble act that the pro basketball player has committed on behalf of at-risk children in his hometown.

Sure, Americans are talking about the president’s racist-sounding message in which he calls Lemon the “dumbest man on television” and how the CNN anchor made James “look smart.” I’ll add that both men, Lemon and James, are African-American. Trump’s insult is in keeping his with his history of insulting African-Americans’ intelligence.

The story ought to center on what LeBron James has done for students in Akron, Ohio. He has invested several million dollars of his own immense fortune in establishing a school for those children.

Trump, who said in his tweet “I like Mike,” drew a response from “Mike,” aka Michael Jordan, the retired NBA great who endorsed LeBron’s efforts on behalf of the kids.

The reality is this: LeBron James has done far more for children in Akron than Trump has done in his entire professional life. I will repeat what I’ve noted already, which is that Trump focused his entire career on self-enrichment. He demonstrated zero interest in public service prior to running for president in 2016 … and I’m convinced that he intended to become president for completely personal reasons.

LeBron James’s act of generosity will long outlive the current dust-up over the president’s Twitter tirade and perhaps even the debate over its racist tone.

Sports news

Common denominator with sports figures and Trump?

The Hill newspaper has posted an item online that chronicles the sports figures who have clashed with Donald J. Trump.

I am struck, as are you, with the common denominator that stands out. All the celebrities are African-American.

Check out the story here

The sports figures — and I use the term “figures” because one of the men mentioned is LaVar Ball, the loudmouth father of a pro basketball player, LiAngelo Ball — all have gotten into beefs with the president, who has taken to Twitter to castigate them.

Is it a mere coincidence that all these individuals are black?

Or … is the president singling out these fellows because of their racial background?

I hate thinking that the president is a racist. The evidence continues to mount that the president’s worst instincts are proving to be so tragically true.

Uncategorized

Tension tonight at Trumps’ dinner table?

I am probably the only American who wants to be a fly on the wall tonight when the president and first lady sit down for dinner.

Donald J. Trump decided to post that moronic tweet in which he blasts pro basketball great LeBron James for saying some nasty things about him. Oh, and he also took a cheap shot at CNN anchor Don Lemon, who he called the “dumbest person on TV.” Racist … perhaps? Yeah. Pretty sure it is.

Oh, but then first lady Melania Trump’s spokesperson said the first lady salutes James for his work to improve the lives of children. “It looks like LeBron James is working to do good things on behalf of our next generation and just as she always has, the First Lady encourages everyone to have an open dialogue about issues facing children today,” said Stephanie Grisham on Mrs. Trump’s behalf.

What has James done? He has opened a school in his native Akron, Ohio, for at-risk children. He has invested a significant portion of his massive wealth to help aspiring students.

Indeed, James has done more for children than the president has done. Or for that matter, anything the education secretary, Betsy DeVos, has done.

Still, the president saw fit to disparage LeBron James with what many — myself included — have construed to be a racist taunt.

The first lady’s minor break with her husband is significant mainly because she has chosen to speak out at all, even if it through her spokeswoman.

There might be a bit of tension tonight wherever the Trumps will be.

national news, political news, Sports news

Stick to things that really matter, Mr. POTUS

Dan Rather has it right when he lambastes the president of the United States over a ridiculous message sent out via Twitter regarding — and this is rich! — comments from the world’s greatest professional basketball player, LeBron James.

Rather, the one-time CBS News anchor, said this, also via Twitter: This is apparently what the President of the United States feels the need to share with the world at what should be long past his bedtime? It’s a disgrace. It’s racist. And it’s the product of petty but dangerous hatreds. I repeat this is the PRESIDENT??!?

Trump had posted this message: Lebron James was just interviewed by the dumbest man on television, Don Lemon. He made Lebron look smart, which isn’t easy to do. I like Mike!

Yep, the commander in chief, the leader of the free world, the head of state of the world’s most indispensable nation is concerning himself with some comments that LeBron James has made about the president.

Read The Hill story here

Did I mention that James has just opened a new school in his hometown of Akron, Ohio, giving at-risk kids a chance to achieve greatness? There. I just did.

Or the fact that James is married to his high school sweetheart, has been faithful to her over many years of marital bliss? That, too.

Yes, James — as well as CNN news commentator Don Lemon — happen to be African-American. So that means that POTUS, the liar in chief, feels compelled to question their intelligence. Is it just a coincidence, too, that Trump has singled out African-American football players for their decision to “take a knee” during the playing of the National Anthem at the start of football games? I, um, think not.

Disgraceful.

entertainment news, national news, Sports news

LeBron off to La La Land

LeBron James has broken the hearts of his hometown pro basketball fans once again.

The best basketball player on the planet is leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers a second time — for Los Angeles, where he has just signed a $154 million deal over the next four years to play for the Lakers, a once-great team that has hit the skids in recent seasons. So help me, the amount of money simply boggles my mind.

He started his pro career playing for the Cavs. Then he bolted to Miami — after a good bit of phony melodrama — where he won a couple of NBA titles with the Heat. LeBron, who was born in nearby Akron, returned to Cleveland, where he took the Cavs to an NBA title of their own. I was impressed by his declaration that he wanted to return home, where he reportedly took a cut in pay.

I’ll give “King James” credit for this latest departure from Cleveland: At least this time he didn’t put together a TV special at the end of which he declares, “I’m taking my talents to Tinseltown.”

Sports news

Don’t go, LeBron

I cannot possibly know what is going through LeBron James’s mind now as he ponders his future as a professional basketball player.

The man known as King James is considering whether to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers for, oh, somewhere else. I keep hearing he’s being courted heavily by the Los Angeles Lakers, a team that once achieved greatness but which stinks to high heaven these days.

I’ll get right to the point. I don’t want James to leave Cleveland. I want him to stay put. He makes enough money as it is. The Cavs ain’t paying him chump wages.

Do you recall how his first stint with the Cavaliers ended? His contract expired. He entered the free agency market. Then he put together that goofy TV special, at the end of which he announced he would “take my talents to South Beach,” meaning to Miami, where he would play for the Heat.

The Cavs fans went nuts. They burned LeBron jerseys in public bonfires. They protested. They howled. They wept. They accused LeBron of the equivalent of sports franchise “treason.”

Then he did something quite remarkable. He decided at the end of his Miami contract to return to Cleveland. All was forgiven. The Cavs fans welcomed back their favorite son, who I should add was born and reared in nearby Akron.

What is the 33-year-old superstar going to do now? It’s anyone’s guess.

I’ve never been in the position of a supremely gifted athlete who can earn many millions of dollars annually for playing a game. LeBron James is a tremendous physical specimen. He plays basketball at a level rarely seen by anyone at any time — ever! — in this history of the sport. Some experts call him the “Greatest of All Time.”

He’s already fabulously wealthy.

However, it might be that at this moment, he’s still hurting from the four-game sweep from the NBA Finals he and the Cavs suffered at the hands of the Golden State Warriors.

But the sun came up the next day. He still has a supremely healthy bank account.

He also is at home. I wonder, therefore, what the home folks will think if he decides to abandon them a second time.

Sports news

If LeBron is MVP of finals even if Cavs lose … ?

Talk is now swirling a bit about whether LeBron James should be the most valuable player of the NBA Finals if his team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, loses to the Golden State Warriors.

What’s the big deal?

http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nba/lebron-james-wouldnt-feel-good-about-winning-finals-mvp-if-the-cavaliers-lose/ar-BBle7vK

There’s precedent for such a thing.

Here’s two examples that come to mind off the top:

* The 1960 World Series ended with the Pittsburgh Pirates beating the New York Yankees on a seventh-game, ninth-inning home run by Bill Mazeroski. The Series MVP? Yankees second baseman Bobby Richardson.

* Super Bowl V was won by the Baltimore Colts on a field goal by Jim O’Brien. The MVP of that game? Dallas Cowboys linebacker Chuck Howley.

There might be other examples.

LeBron James has played his guts out. He’s scored a ton of points. If it goes to the Warriors, he would have earned the MVP — no matter what.

 

medical news, Sports news

This basketball player touched nation's heart

How does a teenager who played basketball touch so many hearts?

When it’s a young woman with grit, determination and raw courage battling a fatal disease, only to lose that battle … well, that’s how you reach so many people’s deepest emotions.

Lauren Hill died Friday at the age of 19.

She played basketball for Mount St. Joseph University. It was her dream to play ball and she was able to fulfill that dream.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/ncaabk/lauren-hill-dies-at-19-after-battle-with-brain-cancer/ar-AAaGwqW?ocid=ansUSAsports11

Lauren suffered from brain cancer. Yet she fulfilled her dream this past November when she scored the initial and final basket of Mount St. Joe’s victory over Hiram College.

Her death has brought forth statements of love and sympathy from all across the nation. One of the tweets came from none other than LeBron James, who wrote: “Until we officially meet again, take care and continue to be that LEADER we all love! #RIPLaurenHill”

Lauren declared her goal to be to find a cure for the rare form of cancer that took her life. Her courage inspired others to give thousands of dollars to fund research to find a cure.

She managed to play a few games for Mount St. Joe before her illness prevented her from playing.

Lauren’s courage has become something of a rallying cry for others who are stricken with fatal illness.

She suffered from Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma, which normally affects children much younger. To play the game against Hiram, Lauren had to cope with crowd noise that made her lose her balance. She wore headphones to keep the noise to a minimum when she was sitting on the bench.

But her goal was to play ball. She accomplished her mission that day. She also helped raise about $40,000 for The Cure Starts Now Foundation, which she organized. The group’s efforts are ongoing.

This young woman was a champion in every sense of the word.

And that explains how she touched our hearts.

 

Uncategorized

You go, Cleveland

Cleveland, Ohio — the one-time Rust Belt symbol of urban decay, crime and corruption — suddenly has become the most talked-about city in America.

And for all the right reasons, to boot.

First, the city landed the 2016 Republican National Convention. It’ll take place in the summer, when the weather hopefully is pleasant. Lake Erie will be full of activity. The waterfront will be bustling. Thousands of convention delegates, political activists, media representatives, spectators and vendors will descend on the city, pumping millions of dollars into the local and state economy.

Does it get any better than that?

Well, yes.

Then came news that its Prodigal Son (of sorts) has returned to play professional basketball for the Cleveland Cavaliers. You’ve heard of LeBron James, correct? He’s at this moment the most skilled basketball player on the planet — in many people’s opinion.

He said four years he was “taking my talents to South Beach.” He went to Miami and led the Heat to a couple of NBA titles. Now he’s coming back to his home state; “King James” hails from Akron, just down the road from Cleveland.

It’s great to be in Cleveland these days. No more jokes about Lake Erie catching fire from pollutants.

One more thing: former Texas A&M star Johnny “Football” Manziel is going to play for the Cleveland Browns this fall. That’s not too shabby, either.

Cue up the guitars at the Rock ‘n Roll Museum. The city is ready to dance.

Uncategorized

Will the Heat fans boo LeBron?

Darn. I was hoping LeBron James would schedule another ridiculous TV special to inform his legions of fans — of which I am not — that he would “take my talents back to Lake Erie.”

The NBA’s premier basketball player didn’t do any of that needless publicity stunt work, which he performed when he went from Cleveland to Miami. It was just a simple announcement.

Am I going to blather on about what this means for the Cavaliers and the Heat? No. I haven’t a clue. I do like to watch the occasional pro basketball game, but James’s basketball future isn’t high on my priority list. Nor do I know enough about basketball to venture a wild guess on which team benefits from this signing and why.

I do wonder about a single aspect of this decision, however.

Since James is going home to Ohio — he hails from Akron — the return to Cleveland seems oddly fitting. When he left the Cavaliers to play for the Heat, the fans back home booed the former hometown hero mercilessly whenever he touched the ball during a game in their presence.

Will the Heat fans return the favor when the Cavs venture into Miami to play the former NBA champs?

I don’t believe so. Nor do I believe they should give him grief.

The young man is returning home, he says, to finish his stellar NBA career. What can be so wrong with that? He said that the decision just felt right to him, that he always knew he’d finish his career in Cleveland.

You go for it, LeBron.

And by the way, I’m actually glad you didn’t treat us to another idiotic TV special.