LeBron James finds himself in the line of criticism (Like again!) for celebrating a good defensive play by Kyle Kuzma in the 4th quarter of the Utah Jazz game last week. What was a running joke in the Lake Show Life post-game report turned into a national story. The real question is…why?
There is an overused phrase that is used in the English language that can relate to Los Angeles Lakers superstar, LeBron James. It reads, “Heavy is the head that wears the crown.” The meaning? It means the great responsibilities borne by a king, who worries constantly.
This phrase also means a person in charge, or in a leadership role, has to bear many responsibilities, and it is a very tough job.
Here lies the rub. Did you know that the phrase is used in the wrong context? Yes. The phrase is famously misquoted from Shakespeare’s play Henry IV, part 2. It reads, “Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown”.
It’s amazing how sports can be tied to anything. Furthermore, it’s amazing how LeBron James can be tied to any polarizing NBA news story no matter how ridiculous the context. The story goes no further back than about a week ago when the Los Angeles Lakers almost took stock in the Utah Jazz in a 121-96 thrashing.
The game could actually put you to sleep based on the fact that Utah played awful in this contest. Then Kyle Kuzma has back to back blocks and then business picked up.
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What was a running joke to spice up the post-game report became the next trending NBA story.
Craig Bolerjack and Matt Harpring were the announcers for the Utah Jazz for this game. If this was ever a case of misguided anger, this was it. The Jazz were playing terrible and most won’t remember Bolerjack moaning “Oh my!” as LeBron James racing through the lane and dunking to start the 4th quarter.
These two were upset. When Dwight Howard knocked down a 3-pointer in the corner, Matt Harpring compared him to Dennis Rodman as he ran down the court. Does anyone see ANY similarities between those two?
After LeBron surgically dismantled the Jazz along with some assistance from Anthony Davis, LeBron James felt the need to address the comments of the two announcers via his Instagram account.
"“Imagine doing your job at the highest level to where you’re not needed anymore, giving your shoes to a lil girl and boy who you inspire and hoped you made proud that night, then cheering on your teammates cause you love seeing them succeed more than yourself only to be criticized while doing it,” James wrote. “People it’s the world we live in and you can’t let it ever stop you from your purpose in life. Negativity, bad energy, hate, envy, etc etc will try to bring you down throughout your journey and it’s up to you on how you handle it. I handle it by simply saying ‘Thank You’ with a [smile] on my face and continue to push forward while doing it!”"
Presumably, the announcers missed James giving his shoes to Lakers fans before he was seen on the sidelines. Craig Bolerjack probably didn’t know the ramifications of not knowing the full story before speaking. This tweet came out with the quickness to “apologize”.
But what did LeBron James do besides support his teammate? Kyle Kuzma has struggled at times during the season and made a great defensive play. LeBron was excited. Where’s the crime? Can this man live his life and have fun playing basketball.
Lake Show Life takes a long look to see examples of his criticized good behavior and bad behavior. It’s about time for the NBA fans and media to make up their minds. Let’s take a look at where things were last year.