To paraphrase Ronald Reagan, there you go again, LeBron.
NBA prima donna LeBron James walked off the court with 10 seconds to play in a Los Angeles Lakers Game 3 Finals loss to the Miami Heat on Sunday, leaving his team short-handed during the final possession.
James was the Lakers’ leading scorer with 25 points, along with 10 rebounds and eight assists, but as the game wound down and his team trailing 115-104, he looked visibly frustrated with a foul call — he always looks frustrated with foul calls — as noted by BizPac Review.
Former NBA player and ESPN sportscaster Mark Jackson said of James’s self-serving action: “This is not a good look.”
LeBron walks off the court leaving team shorthanded on the final possession pic.twitter.com/ndbbD1dS7I
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) October 5, 2020
Fans and non-fans alike, already upset with James for his controversial comments following the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin — while remaining silent over the NBA’s unholy alliance with Communist China over forced-labor Nike sweatshops — suggested the future Hall of Famer just keep walking — all the way to China.
Hey King. Why don’t you just keep on a walking straight to China. Though there you would never be called King. More Karma? You deserve it. LeBron James walks off court in frustration before Game 3’s end: ‘This is not a good look’
@KingJameshttps://t.co/6PzYzJ1AUJ— TEXAS TRUMPTRESS 🇺🇸Yesterday when I was young (@ckkirsch1) October 5, 2020
One Twitter user suggested that “all four fans” at the game were “stunned” by James’s walk-off.
The 4 fans were STUNNEDhttps://t.co/KtEG8EfaWZ
— 𝓁𝓊𝒸𝓀𝓎 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓈𝓉𝓇8 𝓇𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉 (@LuckyWTheStr8Rt) October 5, 2020
Outkick’s Jason Whitlock took James apart over disastrous NBA Finals ratings last week, saying:
“Killing the NBA’s popularity in the US will be LeBron’s legacy. Didn’t have to be this way. Sad. Can’t be the GOAT if you kill the game.”
** Warning: strong language.**
Killing the NBA's popularity in the US will be LeBron's legacy. Didn't have to be this way. Sad. Can't be the GOAT if you kill the game. #AirJordanForever https://t.co/vxK2m2e5D7
— Jason Whitlock (@WhitlockJason) October 1, 2020
As my RedState colleague, Brad Slager reported in an earlier article titled, “Air Ball! Things Become Worse as NBA Ratings for the Finals Are Lowest Ever,” the NBA continues to suffer from self-created issues.
While Commissioner Adam Silver’s prostration before the Black Lives Matter altar began the league’s recent decline in public opinion — and all-important TV ratings — James’s controversial running commentary on the Kenosha shooting and other police actions has soured an untold number of NBA fans — former and those still hanging on.
In an August article titled, “LeBron Runs His Mouth About Kenosha Shooting; Leo Terrell Shows Up With a Few Suggestions,” I reported on observations from both Jason Whitlock and former Democrat-turned-Trump-supporter, civil right attorney Leo Terrell following James’s ridiculous assertion that he and his family are “terrified living in America” in the aftermath of Kenosha.
LeBron is certainly not alone in what “almost” looks like a concerted effort to bring the NBA to its knees, but King James wields the scepter.
But childishly walking off the court in a Game 3 Finals loss and leaving his teammates shorthanded — regardless of the reason — only added to the legacy accurately described by Jason Whitlock.
#TeammatesMatter, LeBron.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member