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Old 12-14-2002, 09:55 AM
CrimsonTide4 CrimsonTide4 is offline
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Question LeBron James: Cocky or Confident

I heard about this kid for the very first time yesterday on the RUSS PARR show (sucks without Olivia BTW IMO). . .he attends a school where Ideal08 and I are from. There is this article about him in the ESPN which I wanted to share with you. . .

NEXT: LeBron James
By Tom Friend
ESPN The Magazine



This time, Next is robbing the cradle.


There's this boy/man/narcissist out there, impersonating an NBA player, except he's 17 and still subject to a Catholic high school dress code. He lives in a two-bedroom Akron apartment, with an Ann Iverson clone, and the place is a virtual shrine to a 6'6" guard from North Carolina. "Got like 50 pictures of MJ on my wall -- that's all you need to know about me," the phenom says. "Got Iverson, McGrady, Magic and Kobe on there, too. And myself. I'm on my wall."


He goes out in public reluctantly, with a Celtics cap tugged low over his eyes, but at least he's reachable. He's got a two-way pager on one hip and two cell phones on the other -- because he never knows when Antoine Walker might call. "Shoot, we were at Applebee's one day, and Antoine Walker did call," says a buddy named Frankie Jr. "And he put him on hold. How can you put Antoine Walker on hold?" //WHO IS ANTOINE WALKER?!!??!


But this is the life of a teenage Next. His home games are on pay-per-view for $7.95 a pop in 14 Ohio counties, and a Dec. 12 matchup with national power Oak Hill was scooped up by ESPN2. "I hope Kobe watches," the kid says. He wanted Dickie V to do the broadcast -- because it's not like he'll be playing on Big Monday next season -- but there are more important things to worry about.


He needs to pick a sneaker company, insure his body for at least 5 mil and cross his fingers that the judge goes easy on his surrogate father. He needs to find a parking space for his Explorer, keep his mother off the refs and avoid the Internet. Not long ago, he read online that he'd fathered three children by two women, which was news to him. But all of the mystery and intrigue will be over in six months, when LeBron James finally shakes the commissioner's hand and gets on with it.


Not since Lew Alcindor has a high school senior been hoisted this high over the bean stalk, and there's an entire basketball public tripping all over itself in anticipation. Michael calls him "Young Buck." Shaq is proud to say, "I'm in his Rolodex." And Cleveland coach John Lucas has said, "Gotta have him, gotta have him."

Meanwhile, his own prep coach thinks every last one of them is setting Bron up to fail. "I mean, it took Kobe three years," says Dru Joyce II, the God-fearing St. Vincent-St. Mary's mentor who makes James do 10 push-ups every time he curses. "But everyone expects Bron to go right into the NBA and dominate. And I'm concerned about the kid."

Not so concerned that he objects to moving most of LeBron's home games to a college fieldhouse. Not so concerned that he won't accept the free adidas shoes and uniforms that Sonny Vaccaro sends in bulk. Not so concerned that he won't let LeBron James wear monogrammed "LJ 23" adidas tees, sweats and sneakers. A teenager is up for grabs here, to the point that some NBA teams look as if they've already thrown in the towel to get him, and no one has been able to stop the insanity.

The kid has charisma -- "Charisma? He's a damn fool," says his mother, laughing -- but he's also oblivious to the flaws of his inner circle. An ex-con is handling his business affairs. Another ex-con wants to tell him he's his biological father. Even his own mother, Gloria, has been seen trading adidas gear to gain entry to local bingo games. It isn't easy being a 17-year-old prodigy who's the so-called future of a pro sports league, especially when you haven't even experienced prom night.

But that's the rushed, inflated world LeBron James lives in. It is no surprise that he already refers to himself in the third person -- "LeBron stays humble by just being LeBron," he says -- or that he shouts "King James!" or "You sorry!" after he's dunked on you. It is no surprise that LeBron memorabilia are up on eBay, or that 30-year-old women want to date him, or that a football game in an Amish community a year ago ended with his signing autographs for 45 minutes. It is no surprise that his surrogate dad wants him to play for the Knicks -- "Mecca, Mecca," the man says; or that the NBA is already thinking about putting him on the 2004 Olympic team; or that, according to Lycos, LeBron is the subject of more Internet searches than any NBA player other than AI, MJ, Kobe, Vince and Tracy.

He has sold out Cleveland's Gund Arena and Ohio State's Value City Arena //this is a BIG AZZZZZ ARENA,\\ not to mention local 8 a.m. scrimmages. And that's why the Madison Square Garden suits, who suddenly have seats to fill, are salivating over a kid who can windmill a dunk on one possession and no-look a bounce pass through a 2-1-2 zone the next.


He doesn't post up yet, but NBA scouts say he can pass out of a double-team better than two-thirds of the league. He shot just 59% from the foul line and 34% from three-point land last season, but that was LeBron in the gym all August, extending his range to 30 feet. He could win the NBA dunk contest right now, but it's his basketball IQ, his feel for the game, that has league cellar dwellers thinking savior. Scouts like that he's a people person, and predict he'll make a better teammate than Kobe. They say he'll be a distributor as a rookie, a go-to guy by Year 2 and on a Wheaties box by Year 3.


The kid is okay with the obscene hype, but there's also a real LeBron James down there somewhere, under all that muck. And the real LeBron James happens to be a gem. He scribbles "Gloria" on one adidas sneaker stripe, "Marie" on the next and "James" on the third. He shops at the NBA Store, just gave up soda for spring water, sings karaoke at school and visits one particular family every Christmas Eve. He has a 3.2 GPA and took the ACTs out of sheer curiosity. The real LeBron James gets inundated with free sneakers, so he gives them away for nothing in the school cafeteria, shouting out trivia questions like, "Who did we beat in the state playoffs last year?" The real LeBron James once got reprimanded by his coach for wearing his shorts too low, so he pulled them up like Urkel for a week. The real LeBron James tells his posse they can live with him for his entire NBA career -- or at least until he gets married. The real LeBron James still gets roasted for having the floppiest ears in Akron.


"Yep, he gets called Dumbo, Airplane, anything you can come up with," says friend and teammate Sian Cotton. "We treat him like anyone else. Of course, he says he's gonna get all of us cars after the NBA draft. Tells us whatever kind of truck we want we can get."

First he has to learn how to write a check.

He used to stand on his tiptoes, to stretch himself to 6'6". That was his prayer -- to be Michael Jordan's height. But ever since he passed Mike by, he's refused to be measured.

"I don't know how tall I am or how much I weigh," he says. "Because I don't want anybody to know my identity. I'm like a superhero. Call me Basketball Man."

The best estimate -- or at least what the St. V's program says -- is that he's 6'8", 240. But like most everything else with LeBron James, it's an absolute guess. The general public has been hearing about him for 2 years, ever since he was the nation's No. 1 prep as a sophomore, but his evolution can be broken down into two stages: pre-6'6" and post-6'6".


He had little stability in his early years, because of a father who never checked in and a mother who scoured the want ads. "When I was 5, some financial things happened, and I moved seven times in a year," LeBron says. "We moved from apartment to apartment, sometimes living with friends. My mom would always say, 'Don't get comfortable, because we may not be here long.' "

Her name is Gloria Marie James, and she's a testy, diminutive woman with a serious set of lungs: "I'm loud, can't help it." She got pregnant at 16, and it's been just her and her "Bron Bron" ever since. She says the father was a casual sex partner named Anthony McClelland, who by now is well-known within the state and county penal systems. He's been convicted of arson and theft, to name just two of his many transgressions, and he certainly wasn't the one to help Glo out of her monetary hardships.

Glo's always been late to bed, late to rise -- "I ain't into mornings" -- and she's seen her share of trouble as well, having spent a total of seven days in county jail. According to Akron court records, she's been cited over the years for playing music too loudly, criminal trespassing, contempt of court and disorderly conduct. It's something she plays down -- "There wasn't any drugs involved" -- but it was never trivial to her son. Out of shame, he stopped going to elementary school, instead spending his days walking back and forth between his apartment and the corner store. "In fourth grade, I missed 82 days of school," LeBron says. "Out of 160."


One thing he did embrace was football. He joined a Pee Wee team and scored 19 touchdowns in six games as a receiver. When his coach, Frankie Walker, noticed LeBron didn't return to school after fourth-grade Christmas break, he quizzed some of the other parents and learned that Glo was looking to find LeBron a more stable home. After consulting with his family -- wife Pam and kids Chanelle, Frankie Jr. and Tanesha -- Walker volunteered to take the boy in.


"I don't want to give the impression that Glo just dropped LeBron off on our doorstep," Pam says. "It was important to him and to her that they maintain their relationship. So, wherever she was staying, he went with her on the weekend."


But on weekdays LeBron was getting his first taste of family. "My life changed," he says. "I had shelter and food." With Glo, LeBron would go to bed after Jay Leno; with the Walkers, he had bathrooms to clean and couldn't talk back. He didn't miss one day of school in fifth grade, and at the end of the year he took home the school's attendance award. "Best award ever," he says.


The cellar-dweller teams see LeBron as their ticket to the Finals
LeBron returned to his mom for part of sixth grade, but she couldn't make rent and sent him back to the Walkers. Glo then considered moving her son to New York, where she had relatives, but the Walkers wouldn't hear of it. They had this ritual of baking LeBron a German chocolate cake on his birthday, and hosting him every Christmas Eve. And rather than lose him, Pam and one of her friends found Gloria a permanent apartment.

It meant the boy could keep his pals -- Frankie Jr., Sian, Dru Joyce III, Romeo Travis -- and together that crew won more than 200 AAU basketball games. LeBron, by then a six-foot eighth-grader, was the jewel of the squad. He saw the court better, shared better, jumped higher, wore No. 23. And after dominating a series of tournaments, he found himself rated a top-five national prospect.

He also had a certain gleam now, because he and Glo had their own place. Pam Walker still drove him to school every morning, but after practice he wanted the gang over to his house now.


Then, the summer before 10th grade, lightning struck. "I remember sleeping over at his place," Sian says. "We woke up, got some cereal, and I'm like, 'You grew two inches last night!' I swear, he grew two inches overnight! By the end of the summer, the dude was six-six something."


Six-six three-quarters inches. Exactly.


The first sign of chaos was when he showed up at St. V's driving a Navigator. Those weren't his wheels -- they belonged to an ex-con -- and that's when the negativity kicked in. Until then, LeBron James had been his own creation: a kid who dished like Magic, created like Michael, slashed like McGrady and was ornery like Iverson. It was hyperbole, of course, but the talk had enough merit that shoe companies, investment firms and even Shaq needed someone to call as a go-between.


The ex-con, he was that guy. His name is Eddie Jackson, and he'd been one of Glo's boyfriends from the formative years. When he actually resurfaced is up for debate, but the LeBron regulars don't recall seeing him at any AAU games before the eighth grade. They never saw Glo, either -- "LeBron would look up in the crowd for her," Frankie Sr. says -- but from eighth grade on, Eddie and Glo never missed a free throw.


"What, I knew he was gonna be an NBA prospect in the eighth grade?" Eddie says. "Come on. That's hideous."

Fact is, IMG -- the rep firm based in nearby Cleveland -- inquired about LeBron as early as the ninth grade, so the secret had long been out. And if Eddie hadn't already done 27 months for drug trafficking in the early '90s, his presence might have been more palatable. But he showed up at the Walkers' one Christmas Eve to give LeBron a PlayStation 2, and as the teen grew past 6'6", the gifts grew too. Last year's whopper was a '95 Ford Explorer.


"Absolutely, I gave him the car," says Eddie, now a concert promoter and a drug-and-alcohol prevention counselor. "When you got a kid that's a 3.0 student and dominating the country in basketball, you get him whatever the hell he wants."

This was the world LeBron had to somehow make sense of, and he began to confide more in Eddie than in folks like the Walkers. He asked Eddie to join Gloria as his financial adviser, and began calling Eddie Dad. It was the first in a series of events that turned LeBron's life into what it is today: a circus.


Adidas swoops in. Vaccaro was shrewd enough to befriend Eddie; before long, adidas was the official sneaker of St. V's. But the battle for custody of LeBron's size-15 feet was only just beginning. Nike's George Raveling will be glad to know that James wears Air Force Ones in practice and once switched from adidas to Nike at halftime of a bad shooting night. "I wear the sneakers that go with my outfits," Bron says. "Haven't signed nothing yet."


Michael's secret workouts. Jordan was bringing the big guns to Chicago for private scrimmages before the 2001-02 season, and he sent for LeBron. The kid had just finished 10th grade, yet Michael mostly matched him up against Jerry Stackhouse and Corey Maggette. LeBron held his own, and Michael was impressed by his ambidexterity. (James eats and writes lefthanded, but shoots righthanded.) Before LeBron left, Michael gave him his cell number. "We stole it from LeBron's phone," Frankie Jr. says. "We called, and Michael picked up. We hung up. Mike changed his number after that. Now we've got to get the new one. That's our goal before the season ends."


Turning pro after 11th grade. When a reporter asked Glo if LeBron would consider skipping his senior year, she chirped, "Who wouldn't?" By now she had become the town's unofficial loose cannon. She'd attend games in a "LeBron's Mom" jersey, shouting, "Yeah, baby, we going to the bank," and rushing the court whenever an opponent low-bridged her son. "I had to put an end to that -- she was getting a bad name for herself," LeBron says. "Around the house, I call her Miss Ann Iverson or Iverson's Mom Part II." Says Glo: "Ann ain't got nothing on me. Matter fact, me and Ann may turn out to be good friends."


St. V's outgrows its gym. With the fire marshal worrying about SRO crowds, most of LeBron's games were moved to the U. of Akron's 6,000-seat JAR Arena last season. The town just couldn't get enough of his 37-inch vertical and his topspin passes, and the kid was turned into a cash cow. The school has reportedly earned $200,000 to $300,000 by playing the larger venue, more than enough to buy a new sound system for its matchbox gym. "Who paid for that sound system?" Glo growls. "Bron did. And do you know they want him to pay almost $40 a year to park at school? Let me get out of this school before I get nasty." //GHETTO\\


The father resurfaces. It was inevitable, but Glo says LeBron's biological dad wants back in. Problem is, McClelland has been found guilty of theft five times and just got arrested for theft again on Nov. 12. LeBron is vetoing any meetings. "I keep that somewhere far, far away," he says.

Want MJ's cell number? Ask LeBron, he's got it.
The Cavaliers audition. James has never been able to stay away from Gund Arena. He loitered outside the Cavs locker room all last season, and says he knows "at least two or three guys on every NBA team." But it got surreal when Shaq reciprocated and showed up at one of LeBron's St. V games.("I wanted to take a look," Shaq says. "Every No.1 high school player gets that hype. Marcus Liberty got that hype back in my day. Where is Marcus Liberty now?") Though the Big Fella gave him a thumbs up, he was nowhere near as intrigued as the Cavs' Lucas, who had worked out Kobe in high school and had long itched to see LeBron. "I kept hearing he was better than Kobe," Lucas says. "So I went to see him play at an AAU tournament and stayed 11 hours. Stayed 11 hours looking for a weakness."

Last spring, Lucas invited James to an informal Cavs workout, then watched him dunk on Jumaine Jones and jam backward over Chris Mihm. But it was the kid's point guard skills that floored the coach, so much so that Lucas has no regrets about the two-game suspension and the $150,000 fine he received for bringing LeBron in. In fact, some Cavs players suggest the front office traded point guard Andre Miller to pave the way for a lottery run (which is what happens when you peel off 15 losses in a row).

Either way, LeBron Fever was off the charts after the Cleveland workout, even though critics still saw a kid who drifted to the perimeter on offense and looked indifferent on defense. Adidas and Nike didn't care. Adidas engraved his sneakers and made him a gold mouthpiece with "King James" across the front and "Gloria" across the molars. // GHETTO MONSTROSITY\\ Nike handed him swooshed rubber-band wristlets with "King" on one side and "James" on the other.

And then, thankfully, came a dose of reality. At a summer AAU game in Chicago, LeBron was undercut on a dunk and broke his left wrist. Pros like Darius Miles and Quentin Richardson were in the stands, but left as soon as they saw the kid weeping in Glo's arms. //LMAO\\ "I was like, 'Why me?' " James says. "I hear 'broken,' and I'm thinking I'm out a year, two years."

Jordan's personal orthopedist monitored LeBron and his personal trainer rehabbed him, and it made for a cathartic summer. He played pickup with his cast on, and people started to see the real LeBron James again. "I treated it like every day was my last day with a basketball," he says.


At the time, Eddie was facing prison again (his sentencing for mortgage fraud was scheduled for Dec.11), and LeBron started re-evaluating. It wasn't his fault everybody around him had their calculators out. He nearly broke his neck when he tore down a rickety rim in Stow, Ohio, a month ago, but when the Stow athletic director wouldn't let Eddie have the rim as a momento, Jackson yelped, "We'll sue you then!" Glo chimed, "Sue, baby, sue! It'll be a sweeeeet Christmas." So the AD said, "I'll give it to you for six autographed basketballs," at which point Glo told him, "You probably want six [favors] instead." LeBron was the only one around him who could keep his head, and what he decided to do -- at least temporarily -- was stop fixating on the NBA.


"People ask me if it's a hard decision going to the NBA, but I've made harder decisions," he says. "Decisions about smoking or going to school, or stealing from a store or not stealing. Those are harder decisions. Yeah, I smoked weed. When it's around family, around friends, of course you want to try it. I tried it a couple of times. But when you get on the court and your wind ain't there, that's when you've got to just stop doing it. So the NBA decision ain't a hard decision compared to that."


It's a side of Bron Bron nobody has really seen since … before he was 6'6". Maybe he's finally growing up, maybe not. But when asked by friends what he wants for his 18th birthday later this month, LeBron James doesn't flinch.


He wants German chocolate cake. At the Walkers'.

This article appears in the Dec. 23 issue of ESPN The Magazine. You can watch LeBron in action Thursday Dec. 12 on ESPN2 -- followed by NEXT -- at 9 p.m. ET.




My own personal thoughts: He seems to have a talent within basketball but the people surrounding (his mama and her man) are going to be the death of him. I cannot believe he has MJ's number and stuff. I am glad the Walkers are around to keep some sense of humility in his life.
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Last edited by CrimsonTide4; 12-14-2002 at 12:27 PM.
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Old 12-14-2002, 11:51 AM
Steeltrap Steeltrap is offline
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Post Wow

Thanks for posting the article. And I was also able to pick up on Ms. James and her man and the vibe they threw out. What Gloria James needs to realize is that LeBron is her SON, not her MAN, and she needs to maintain that distance.

I've seen some commentaries where the writers have felt that Anne Iverson is a little too worshipful of her son Allen. Last summer, I recalled Ms. Iverson calling Allen "A.I." like she was some rapper's groupie.

A few other thoughts about LeBron:

After he gets his NBA and sneaker $$$, he needs to get solid financial planning and a strong investment portfolio. Quality black-owned financial management firms exist. He doesn't need ex-cons handling his business affairs.

Glad to read that he's got a 3.2 GPA. It would be nice to further his education. Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant, two of the best HS-to-NBA guys, have both reportedly taken college classes. Don't know about Tracy McGrady, though.
Then again, Kobe is hard to compare anyone to because he grew up in comfort with dad Joe (Jellybean) Bryant, as a constant presence.

Seems that Coach Walker and his family's involvement in LeBron's life has given him a nice boost.
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Old 12-14-2002, 12:08 PM
Gina1201 Gina1201 is offline
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Re: LeBron James: Cocky or Confident

Quote:
Originally posted by CrimsonTide4
He goes out in public reluctantly, with a Celtics cap tugged low over his eyes, but at least he's reachable. He's got a two-way pager on one hip and two cell phones on the other -- because he never knows when Antoine Walker might call. "Shoot, we were at Applebee's one day, and Antoine Walker did call," says a buddy named Frankie Jr. "And he put him on hold. How can you put Antoine Walker on hold?" WHO IS ANTOINE WALKER?!!??!
Antoine Walker is a basketball player for the Boston Celtics.

Quote:
My own personal thoughts: He seems to have a talent within basketball but the people surrounding (his mama and her man) are going to be the death of him. I cannot believe he has MJ's number and stuff. I am glad the Walkers are around to keep some sense of humility in his life.
I agree with you CT4. I saw him play on ESPN2 and I must admit that he is a very good basketball player. That being said I think that he should go to college for at least one or two years (I would say graduate but for most b-ball players, that is pushing it), especially since he has a 3.2 GPA.It is sad to see that his momma and her jailbird man only see $$$ instead of realizing that her son NEEDS to get an education. To me, it seems like everyone around him is out for the ALMIGHTY DOLLAR! The only people who seem to genuinely care about him is the Walker family. Hopefully, if he does go to the NBA straight out of high school, which is the way it looks, that the Walker family will continue to be there for him.

As far as the people in the NBA we all know that they are about the money. And I just can't getover Adidas and the gold teeth
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Old 12-14-2002, 06:33 PM
CrimsonTide4 CrimsonTide4 is offline
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As I reread the article and saw more commentary from a male's POV, some more comments came to mind:

1. How legit is the 3.2? Think about it, in most schools athletes get special privileges, especially those of LeBron's magnitude. The school he attend is elite, true enough, but think of all the press they are getting by having LeBron attend and win games, etc. etc. I am sure his teachers are getting pressure to keep him "Eligible" and not to load him with too much homework.

2. He may not be able to attend college to play ball before heading to the NBA because of all the endorsements and special gifts he has received from NIKE, ADIDAS, etc. But even if he did, how likely would it be that he went if it meant getting GHETTO AZZ GLORIA a house and other materialistic showings.

3. Who is really watching out for this boy's (because he is still a child) interests outside of basketball and AFTER basketball is over? Has anyone given him the talks? You really cannot expect MJ or Iverson or Kobe to give him the real deal talk on how to handle his business as an NBA star. He needs a STRONG mentor like Mr. Walker but one who is in the NBA.


I am glad that anyone is blessed with a talent, especially one of this magnitude but does he know how to handle it in all its aspects?
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Old 12-14-2002, 06:54 PM
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I just found out about LeBron James from all the hype of a nationally televised high school game. I immediately thought about KG (go Timberwolves ) and how maturity issues affected his first years in the NBA. The good news is that KG listened to the advice of the older players and never did serious damage to himself or his game. I hope the affect that the Walker family has had on LeBron supercedes the affect of his own family and that the veterans who have taken him under their wings will keep in on the straight and narrow. He is very vunerable right now.
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Old 12-14-2002, 11:59 PM
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Being that I am in Akron right now, I am so tired of hearing about this little boy. Every time you turn on the tv they are talking about him, everytime you pick up a paper he is on the front page or on the sports cover.
I was tempted to post about the game being on ESPn and the local cable channel having the games on PPV. But I decided not to hype him anymore than what people are already doing.
I just can't wait to see what he does when he gets in the NBA, not to say that he might suck but his head is going to be too big from how he has been treated the past two years of his high school career!
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Old 12-15-2002, 02:38 AM
straightBOS straightBOS is offline
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Re: Re: LeBron James: Cocky or Confident

Quote:
Originally posted by Gina1201
being said I think that he should go to college for at least one or two years (I would say graduate but for most b-ball players, that is pushing it), especially since he has a 3.2 GPA.
I agree. Some people seem to have forgotten that although Kobe was a phenom in high school, much of what he lacked in his first years in the NBA in the way of being a team player and intelligent thinker on both sides of the court were due to his decision not to attend college. It is quite easy to dominate in high school b-ball, but college can provide other dynamics that are key to succes in the League no matter how good you might be.

If he decides to go straight to the NBA-- or better yet, when he gets there tomorrow, I hope he understands that no matter what he does, he'll never be bigger than the hype.

Can you say, Yao Ming?
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Old 12-15-2002, 08:28 PM
Honeykiss1974 Honeykiss1974 is offline
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Why are reading this article, all I could do was feel sorry for him. I just don't get the feeling of a happy ending here.

Mess like this is why I do not believe that high school kids should be targeted/recruited by NBA franchises.
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Old 12-15-2002, 08:44 PM
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My friends and I have had this discussion a million times. I've read articles about LeBron before. I am really afraid for him. As others have stated, his 3.2 means crap. I went to a serious basketball high school. I heard with my own ears a teacher tell one of our players, who was showing his @&$ in class, "As soon as basketball season is over, I gonna give you the grade you deserve." I was like, WTF! Also, I have a problem with all of these adults viewing this CHILD as a meal ticket. They do not care that they are not looking out for his best interests. His mother and others, are thinking only of what his talent can gain THEM. I think that he should go to college. Sure, he is a first round draft pick, but college is important. He can grow up a bit, play with a better group of his peers, and perhaps learn something about managing his money. On the other hand, I also hate to think about how colleges also take advantage of these players. They make millions for the school and in return they get a free education (yeah right!). Then if they take money or something, they are villainized! Whew, I'm sorry. Started to think about my man C-Webb there for a minute.
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Old 01-14-2003, 10:47 PM
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Posted on Tue, Jan. 14, 2003

Inquiry into James' vehicle starts
Documentation for Hummer's financing sought
By Brian Windhorst and David Lee Morgan Jr.
Beacon Journal staff writers

The Ohio High School Athletic Association launched an investigation Monday into how St. Vincent-St. Mary basketball star LeBron James acquired a 2003 Hummer H2 vehicle.

The OHSAA has requested documentation from the school on who purchased the vehicle and how it was financed. At stake is James' amateur athletic status, which could be lost if the SUV is proved to be an improper gift from an outside source.

The rule in question is OHSAA Bylaw 4-10-1, Section C, which states that amateur status is forfeited if an athlete ``capitalizes on athletic fame by receiving money or gifts of monetary value.''

St. V-M officials have been told the Hummer was a birthday gift from James' mother, Gloria. Such a gift would not violate any OHSAA rule. James, a senior, turned 18 on Dec. 30.

``(OHSAA Commissioner) Clair Muscaro has requested that St. Vincent-St. Mary provide something in writing on how the vehicle was obtained to make sure there are no illegalities,'' said the association's director of information services, Bob Goldring. ``If his mother received a regular bank loan to purchase the car, there would not be a problem.''

Attempts to reach Gloria James on Monday were not successful. The family previously has declined to discuss the Hummer.

St. V-M Headmaster David Rathz did not return phone messages left at the school Monday.

School Athletic Director Grant Innocenzi released a statement that confirmed the contact by the OHSAA, but said the school was not asked to take any immediate action.

``Mr. Muscaro explained that he would initiate the inquiry from his office in Columbus and is not now requesting any action by the school. The administration will cooperate fully and has asked for a thorough and prompt resolution,'' Innocenzi said in the statement.

It is believed such an inquiry into a vehicle purchase for an athlete is unprecedented in Ohio high school history, as investigations regarding amateur status violations are rare. If a penalty were to be imposed, James could be ruled ineligible to participate in further games and St. V-M could forfeit any victories since the vehicle was acquired.

``This appears to be a whole new phenomenon for us,'' Goldring said. ``It is fair to say that we don't have as many rules and regulations pertaining to amateur status as an organization like the NCAA.'' The National Collegiate Athletic Association is the governing body of major college sports.

Unlike the NCAA, the OHSAA has no specific provisions in its bylaws pertaining to the purchase of automobiles.

Over the last three years, James and the entire St. V-M basketball program have received clothing and shoes that would have retail value in the thousands of dollars from European shoe company adidas through a sponsorship contract.

The terms call for the shoe company to supply all uniforms, shoes and equipment for all team members.

That arrangement is permitted by the OHSAA under general rules covering sponsorships. Another rule allows money for travel expenses to and from numerous out-of-town games that the Irish have participated in during the last three seasons. High school athletes are also permitted to pursue and obtain scholarships from colleges.

Other rules concerning what constitutes improper gifts appear to be open to interpretation, such as what it means to ``capitalize on fame.''

The 2003 Hummer H2 is a new model from automaker AM General and has a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $49,000. Standard accessory packages make the average vehicle cost around $53,000. James is reported to have also outfitted the large SUV with special equipment, including video screens, that add to the overall cost.

The car is popular among professional athletes because of its size and resulting head and leg room, a feature that would benefit the 6-foot-8 James. It is driven by numerous NBA and NFL players and is a favorite of former Cleveland Indian Jim Thome and current Cleveland Browns player Kevin Johnson.

Hummer bears tag of dealer in Calif.
By David Lee Morgan Jr.
Beacon Journal staff writer

The Hummer SUV being driven by LeBron James has a tag from 310 Motoring Automobile Specialists of Los Angeles, which specializes in sales to celebrities.

The dealership offers luxury car sales and leases and features Bentley, Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Lamborghini products.

There is a page on the dealer's Web site that advertises its client list.

Names listed include actor Denzel Washington and entertainers Jennifer Lopez, Janet Jackson, Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Mark McGrath of the pop group Sugar Ray, Nelly, Ice Cube and Queen Latifah.

NBA clients listed include Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, former Cavs player Bobby Sura, Gary Payton, Antoine Walker (who has become a mentor and confidant to James), Stephon Marbury, Scottie Pippen and Cavs forward Tyrone Hill.

NFL clients include Keyshawn Johnson, Ray Lewis, Deuce McCallister, Peter Warrick, Warren Sapp and Browns defensive back Corey Fuller.

On the company's Web site, www.310motoring.com, the dealership offers enclosed transportation pickup and delivery to all states.

Visitors to the Web site find jazz music accompanying their tour of the site.

The site also gives potential customers a preview of how the vehicle will be shipped via tractor-trailer. The dealership also advertises that it will install custom audio and video capability, including PlayStation and DreamCast entertainment.

A person answering the phone at the dealer on Monday referred calls to a representative, who declined to talk about specifics regarding the Hummer that James drives.
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  #11  
Old 01-14-2003, 11:26 PM
nikki1920 nikki1920 is offline
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JUUUUUST wait until he gets hurt..let a knee or something go out and watch how fast the $$$ and all the people trying to get some disappear.
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Old 01-14-2003, 11:31 PM
ykimber ykimber is offline
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I hear you, I am so tired of hearing about him every little thing that he does make front page news here!
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Old 01-14-2003, 11:37 PM
SkeeWee14 SkeeWee14 is offline
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I just saw on CNN Talk Live with Arthell Nevell (I believe that's her name) this evening about how he was being investigated b/c of the Hummer that he's pushing. I thought that it was really interesting. They were talking about where he grew up and all that. I couldn't help but wonder if they would be making such a big deal about it if he wasn't such a popular ball player and if he was a teenager that came from a "upper class" family. I believe it was said that his mother took out a loan from the bank to purchase it as a surprise for his 18th birthday. All of this is interesting. He may be talented and NBA worthy, but all I have to say is that God gave him that talent and God can take it away. I hope he's careful with the decisions that he make concerning his future and most importantly the people that he surround himself with. Such a shame to have so much pressure at such a young age.
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Old 01-14-2003, 11:53 PM
Gina1201 Gina1201 is offline
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What I would like to know is why his mother took out a $50,000 loan supposedly for a car when the James' are still living in subsidizedd housing. While there is nothing wrong with living there, I do find a problem when an 18 year old is pushing the car. What happens if he gets hurt while playing ball? All that money is down the toilet. We can already see what will happen if and when he play for the pros.
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Old 01-15-2003, 08:14 AM
CrimsonTide4 CrimsonTide4 is offline
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That MOFO is SPOILED!!

His mom is DUMB!!! I wish I wooooooooooooooouuuuuuuuuuld buy my child a hummer. First of all those things are ATROCIOUS!! Number 2, my child would be kept as normal as possible by those who were there from DA BEGINNING!

All of this hype cannot be good for him.
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