Question for fellow Spurs fans

[Cry Havoc]

Why do there seem to be so many Spurs fans on Spurstalk that hate LeBron James?

I understand that he travels sometimes, and that he's been hyped to no extent, but is that enough of a reason for such incredible vitriol and derision? Most of the great ones have traveled routinely. Jordan, Magic, heck even Iceman probably palmed the ball more than anyone wants to admit on this site. And hasn't he lived up to the hype so far? The only reason he doesn't have a ring is because the Spurs were a team when he played us 1 on 5 in the Finals and we showed him the door.

I suppose a case could be made against him that he gets the benefit of the calls, but what fantastic wing player doesn't? Is it LeBron's fault that the officials blow their whistles because they see contact?

I guess I don't really get why I see so many people against the Cavs winning it all (although I realize a lot of Spurs fans wouldn't mind seeing this either). Wouldn't seeing LeBron win it all be better than Kobe? Or Garnett sticking his chin out? Or Dirk getting one? Of the teams left, only the Cavs and the Rockets seem to play "Spurs type basketball", and yet I see very little love for any of them, at least until the Rockets kicked down LA's HC advantage in Game 1.

Thoughts and opines on this subject are welcome, because I'm a bit puzzled at this.

[spursfaninla]

I actually like Lebron more than any of the other superstar players, and like houston and the cavs because they do play good d and are good, complete teams.

But there is the GREAT danger of bandwagoning.

Plus, your team is out of the playoffs and you are used to championships, you should be pining, not rooting for another team you traitor!

[Cry Havoc]

I actually like Lebron more than any of the other superstar players, and like houston and the cavs because they do play good d and are good, complete teams.

But there is the GREAT danger of bandwagoning.

Plus, your team is out of the playoffs and you are used to championships, you should be pining, not rooting for another team you traitor!

The only thing I'm pining for is to see Kobe, KG, and Dirk with sad, defeated faces before the end of the year.

[Ditty]

spurs fans have never been fans of cocky players

[VI_Massive]

A guy gets that much hype, its going to engender some hatred. Inevitable.

[NewJerSpur]

There are actually more posters here that like LeBron as opposed to the alternative from what I've seen, at least for these playoffs anyway. As far as the NBA is concerned the guy walks on water and performs miracles every night....we are all witnesses. The only prayer of stopping the insanity may be in the Magic.

My main problem is the NBA makes it impossible to guard the guy. I'd truly be a hater if I didn't acknowledge his court vision, the improvements he made on his jumper, his dynamic 1st step.....but the other 3 steps he's allowed to take to get to the rim are another story. Don't even blow on the guy when he charging towards you if you're in the lane. Has he ever been called for an offensive foul btw? I can't forget the arm-bar he uses to shield defenders from trying to....well....defend him, which he also uses to hook onto them and propel his way to the basket.

[sa_kid20]

I don't hate LeBron at all its just all the media attention he gets can become a bit much sometimes and its annoying. He should get media attention because he's a great player but enough is enough sometimes. Like on his birthday when ESPN Classic had that "24 hours of LeBron" special. I mean at least wait till the guy gets a ring or two before you go that far. But as a person and player, i actually like LeBron.

[VI_Massive]

I don't hate LeBron at all its just all the media attention he gets can become a bit much sometimes and its annoying. He should get media attention because he's a great player but enough is enough sometimes. Like on his birthday when ESPN Classic had that "24 hours of LeBron" special. I mean at least wait till the guy gets a ring or two before you go that far. But as a person and player, i actually like LeBron.

Yeah. Its our over-saturated 24 hour media machine. They need something to talk about. And the league is happy to provide star player type material.

[E20]

The media hyped him up. Lebron couldn't do anything about it. He's a confident player so the things he says or does are justified by his play. And as far as the hype goes, he's lived up to it.

[024]

spurs fans take the whole "anyone who shows emotion in games must be an asshole" too far. just because tim duncan shies away from the media and doesn't show off in games doesn't mean every other superstar must behave that way. lebron hasn't done anything that would make me dislike him. he didn't rape a girl in colorado, demand to be traded publicly, or throw his teammates under a bus. in last year's series against the wizards, he didn't partake in the trash talking the wizards were trying to bait him into. all he did was destroy them on the basketball court.

[NewJerSpur]

spurs fans take the whole "anyone who shows emotion in games must be an asshole" too far. just because tim duncan shies away from the media and doesn't show off in games doesn't mean every other superstar must behave that way. lebron hasn't done anything that would make me dislike him. he didn't rape a girl in colorado, demand to be traded publicly, or throw his teammates under a bus. in last year's series against the wizards, he didn't partake in the trash talking the wizards were trying to bait him into. all he did was destroy them on the basketball court.

Didn't he dig his foot into the ground/floor out of bounds at the Palace and raise his arms in victorious fashion after sweeping the Pistons in Game 4 of that series?

[thekingrobert]

I'm a Lebron fan myself but man the hype machine is up there and he has held his own no doubt

[024]

Didn't he dig his foot into the ground/floor out of bounds at the Palace and raise his arms in victorious fashion after sweeping the Pistons in Game 4 of that series?
i didn't watch that last game so i don't know what he did. at least he did that after winning and didn't do a premature ball dance to taunt the audience moments before getting owned by a three point play. raising his arms in victorious fashion is very mild compared to that.

[E20]

Didn't he dig his foot into the ground/floor out of bounds at the Palace and raise his arms in victorious fashion after sweeping the Pistons in Game 4 of that series?

does it matter? he won and showed a sign of celebration and he moved on.

lebron showed respect to deroit that whole series.

[NewJerSpur]

does it matter? he won and showed a sign of celebration and he moved on.

lebron showed respect to deroit that whole series.

Sure it matters, it's disrespectful. And of all times in the 1st round?

[ManuTim_best of Fwiendz]

I blame the league and the culture of celebrity. They don't even let us enjoy a person's talents anymore with these hype machines aimed to sell, sell, sell.

Like Sheryl Miller promoting a Lebron MVP special shoe in the middle of the third quarter, and then those fans wearing WIT - MVP - NESS shirts they were handed free to purchase after the game....:rollin

talk about oversaturation. Idon't remember Jordan being treated this way, and he sure as hell made a lot more money for Chicago and the league. I think the way the NBA is being run is pretty obnoxious. Their market still has only NBA fans acknowledging Lebron as opposed to 15 years ago when non-NBA fans knew how good MJ was and wanting a pair of Air Jordans...fake attempts to mold the Next Jordan have diminished the market and created more haterade for any exceptional player, rather than letting the product/marketable game speak for itself.
I wish they'd fire whoever is pushing this "face of the league" bullshit ,ad nauseum. They're overwaxing the enjoyment of the special player/athlete.
I bet they could quadruple profits if they weren't so in-your-face about Lebron's greatness. Less is more.

It's like a bad movie where the manager/agent goes overboard. They had commentators practically saying "GET YOUR MVP Lebron T-shirts online today!" every start of each quarter.

[baseline bum]

People hate LeBron for the same reason they hated Jordan; no one likes a winner.

[NewJerSpur]

People hate LeBron for the same reason they hated Jordan; no one likes a winner.

People generally liked Jordan (would get cheered in opposing arenas every night) and generally like winners (the safe picks). I'm an underdog guy myself, but that's not as much my gripe in this case personally.

[west231]

He is a sb

[Bukefal]

Hate? I dont know for others, but I like him. I think he is one of the best, if not the best. He is great, but I think the show around him could be a little bit less, but well, that comes with being famous and hyped. Cavs are my favorite team after the spurs, and lebron is my favorite player after the spurs players, so nothing but love from me!

[samikeyp]

spurs fans take the whole "anyone who shows emotion in games must be an asshole" too far.

We do? Wow, I never have....I guess I didn't get the memo. :)



I'm curious as to why Ducks hates him. He refuses to answer that question even though I have asked him several times. Ducks hatred for the guy runs way too deep. If the Cavs team plane went down, Ducks would want everyone to survive except LeBron.

[rascal]

Yeah. Its our over-saturated 24 hour media machine. They need something to talk about. And the league is happy to provide star player type material.


Stars drive the TV ratings. James is the biggest star now.

[spurs_fan_in_exile]

People hate LeBron for the same reason they hated Jordan; no one likes a winner.

Actually I hated Jordan because he was an asshole off the court, and whined like a little girl on the rare occasion that a ref had the guts to call anything against him.

As for Lebron, most of the real hate is towards the hype machine running around him. When was the last time a Spurs championship got the same kind of love surrounding the mere possibility that Lebron's Cavs are the favorites to make the finals? And this for a guy who has won as many finals games as Fred Hoiberg. No one likes someone trumpeted as a winner when they haven't won a damn thing yet.

Honestly, I like Lebron's game. I think he's a fairly humble guy in the face of all the stuff that goes on around him. I'd rather him win than Kobe. I wouldn't have a bad thing to say against him if it weren't for the fact that I think he hired a Broadway choreographer for script his pregame routine. I have no problem with intensity and emotion and celebration. Those are all parts of the game. Assinine theatrics are not.

[Mel_13]

Even with the Spurs out, I still watch most of the games. I can't really root for any of the remaining teams, but there are some outcomes that, for me, are much worse than others.

My top 3 worst possible outcomes:

1. KG and Ray Allen going B2B
2. Kobe and PJ winning one w/o Shaq and the ensuing interviews with the all too humble Kobe speaking earnestly about teamwork and trusting his teammates.
3. Mark Cuban hosting a victory parade.

So compared to that, I'm OK with Lebron and SpursNorth winning.

[completely deck]

The guy is absolutely full of himself. It's one thing to be a good ball player but its another to absorb your life over yourself. It's disgusting to watch the media go goo-goo over him. I'm aware of the entertainment factor but seriously, the league has hundreds of other players you can focus on as well.

I've never liked chest thumping, glitzy players. To me it takes away from the game.

To each his own but come on, people.

[UltimA]

The guy is absolutely full of himself. It's one thing to be a good ball player but its another to absorb your life over yourself. It's disgusting to watch the media go goo-goo over him. I'm aware of the entertainment factor but seriously, the league has hundreds of other players you can focus on as well.

I've never liked chest thumping, glitzy players. To me it takes away from the game.

To each his own but come on, people.I'm not a Spurs fan nor do I hate Lebron James, but they need to focus on other people and I agree.

All they do is talk about James and Bryant.