A year of missteps continues for James as he takes shot at disappointed fans who have less than him.
You knew once Miami Heat forward LeBron James had time to think about his words following Sunday’s NBA finals loss to Dallas, he would regret them.
It took probably a day longer than expected but finally Tuesday James decided to do damage control after seemingly putting himself on a pedestal above all people who may not necessarily be fans of his and his actions in the last year.
James was asked by a reporter following the game 6 loss that gave the Mavericks the title how he felt about those people who were rooting against him. A shrug of the shoulders or a simple “I don’t” would have sufficed but his response was almost unreal.
It was reminiscent of last summer’s awkwardly thrown together “Decision” telecast where James insulted the entire city of Cleveland while announcing he was leaving the Cavaliers for Miami.
"All the people that was rooting on me to fail,” James said to ESPN.com, “at the end of the day they have to wake up tomorrow and have the same life that they had before they woke up today.
"They have the same personal problems they had today. I'm going to continue to live the way I want to live and continue to do the things that I want to do with me and my family and be happy with that. They can get a few days or a few months or whatever the case may be on being happy about not only myself, but the Miami Heat not accomplishing their goal, but they have to get back to the real world at some point."
James tried to clarify his words Tuesday, even going as far in an interview with ESPN.com to say he was misinterpreted during the live audio stream.
"Basically I was saying at the end of the day this season is over and—with all hatred—everyone else has to move on with their lives, good or bad. I do, too," James said. "It wasn't saying I'm superior or better than anyone else, any man or woman on this planet, I'm not. I would never, ever look at myself bigger than anyone who watched our game. It may have come off wrong but that wasn't my intent."
James was also criticized for not properly congratulating the Mavs following their win in Miami on Sunday. James sought to correct that as well with a congratulations statement on his website.
Maybe one day James will learn to think his actions and words through first in difficult situations so that he and his handlers don’t have to do damage control days later.
Contact Terrance Harris at terrancefharris@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @Terranceharris
(Photo: AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
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