The People v. Lebron: 4 Reasons People Hate on Kang James

Right now, Lebron James is one of the most hated athletes in the world.

After the Miami Heat beat OKC Thunder last evening, the Lebron hate was at an all-time high. I'm sure it was because people realized Bron Bron is closer than he's ever been to getting a ring. I was not out at a bar watching the game but I saw Facebook and twitter updates. People don't want to see Lebron be great. 


Full Disclosure: I am a Lebron James fan. I say that proudly. I do not lend my fan-dom to any NBA team. I prefer college sports anyway. I grew up in Palm Beach County, Florida where Miami Heat fans dominate the sportsbar scene. I am not a Miami Heat fan. Never have been. I support the Miami Heat because Lebron is a member of their team. 


 The hatred for Lebron has gotten out of hand. 


I find the vitriol "haters" throw his way disturbing. People are saying its borderline distrubing and borderline bothersome. Its not borderline anything...its full blown.You can say I'm jaded by my fan-dom but thats just your denial. People are wishing for career ending injuries and praying for him to lose. Where they do that at? Its just not healthy. People need to chill. I wouldn't be surprised if people had shrines dedicated to Lebron's demise. Then, theres this kid who had a meltdown after game 3. There is also a website, Ihatelebronjames.com that is dedicated to hating on Lebron James. 


What is wrong with you people? What did Lebron do to ya'll?


The hatred for Lebron is personal <---that doesn't make ANY sense. Why? You can't personally hate people who don't know you. If Lebron wouldn't know you if he passed you on the street its time to hang up the personal attacks. What is the point of hating when the person doesn't give two f*cks about your hatred? Do you think you could meet Lebron and tell him you're the President of the "I hate Lebron" club and he's going to be bothered? He will probably feel sorry you're wasting your life hating on him. Hell, I don't even know the haters and I feel sorry for them. He's going to get in his $400,000 car, drive to his $5 Million home and sleep in his $50,000 bed. Whats your life like? 


Every move he makes is criticized. Everything he says is cast in a negative light to keep the hatred going. Everything he does is wrong. Every move he makes is a misstep. He can't even catch a cramp without eliciting some criticism. Anyone who has played sports knows how painful a cramp can be. Lebron is not human so he should not be getting cramps, right? Oh, and every loss his team endures is his fault. 


All in all, it seems everyone cites the same sorry ass 4 reasons as justification for why they don't like Lebron. 

4. They need SOMEONE to Hate On. Its no secret haters are unhappy with their miserable lives. Happy people don't have time to hate on others. Lebron Haters have too much time on their hands. Its interesting how you can ask some people why they hate on Lebron and they don't have a unique answer. They try to ignore his stats and multiple MVP seasons. These people need someone to hate on to make themselves feel better. Lebron happens to be their subject of choice. Shit is sad as f*ck, man. 


3. Lack of Self-Actualization. Lack of personal fulfillment is a real struggle. What do you do when you realize you are failing at life? The answer for Lebron haters is to hate on Lebron. I bet some of the Lebron haters look at Lebron and think they could have been just as good as him if they were given a chance. A good portion of them are former basketball players who didn't make it past the county basketball league. They think they should have a sneaker deal instead of selling sneakers at Foot Locker. They had talent. They had potential. They had an agent who believed in them. Things just didn't add up for them. Instead of trying to seek their real purpose in life, they would rather hate on the person who seems to have everything they believe they should have. Pitiful. 

2. Lebron James is Cocky.  Some haters say they don't like Lebron because he didn't earn his title as "The King." Its obvious these people don't know the real story behind that nickname. First, Lebron did not dub himself "The King." Before Lebron entered the league, the media was pumping up stories of him being the greatest player. He had a Nike shoe deal before he even played his first game. There were commercials calling him great before he had an opportunity to prove himself. None of this was his doing. 


Those same haters who say "Oh I don't like Lebron because he's too cocky" would say "I don't like Lebron because he's too humble." You can't win with some people.  Its ok as long as everyone else does it but as soon as Lebron does it, all hell has to break loose. People want Lebron to be great but not talk shit about it. They want him to make impossible shots and be demure. They want to immortalize him in commercials and posters while expecting him to be conservative. Even neighborhood players on the blacktop aren't humble. That is what basketball is about: talking shit and being cocky. 


1. The Decision. This is unequivocally the number 1 reason people cite as their reason for hating on Lebron.  Ever since he left Cleveland, people have had this deep-seated hatred for Lebron. What did he do that was so awful? He saw an opportunity and he went for it. He saw a better chance for him to win a title and he took it. He has never kept silent about his quest to win championships. 


Instead of acknowledging how the media hyped it up people focus on Lebron's role. The media didn't HAVE to pick it up. They didn't have to advertise so much about it. Haters say it was over the top, unnecessary, ridiculous, and COCKY. "The nerve of Lebron to think he could call a press conference to announce where he was going to play ball." NEWSFLASH: You watched it. Companies bought ads. Lebron didn't owe Cleveland anything. He still doesn't. I know he was their franchise player and he's from Akron. Save that argument. Just because its your hometown it doesn't mean you owe it to them to throw your potential away. 


I think the REAL problem is that Lebron chose to be proactive about his career path. People wouldn't have a problem if he was traded against his will because then "it is what it is." If he was underperforming or got injured the owners would not care about him. If the tables were turned and Lebron was traded he would be the subject of one of those "wasted potential" stories. He gave Cleveland 7 years and took them deeper into the post season than they would have ever gone without him. Now that the Cavs do not have Lebron James, they are like the Temptations without David Ruffin---->a team LOOKING for a Lebron James. 


I can grasp people from Cleveland being upset because of the way he left but I don't understand why it seems everyone outside of Miami is still holding a grudge. Lebron is not the first person to leave Cleveland and he won't be the last. Some won't even acknowledge how he donated the proceeds from advertisements to several charities.  His desire to win can't be denied. He took a pay cut to play in Miami.  


People forget Lebron is only 26 years old. At 26, I can't imagine having to deal with the stuff Lebron endures on a daily basis. Some of ya'll are still struggling with the way you were treated in high school 10 or 20 years ago. Half of ya'll can't handle a subtweet or an honest reference to your ugly outfit. 

You can hate on Lebron and the Miami Heat all you want, but  they deserve to win the title. If hating on Lebron and the Heat is the highlight of your day, your life sucks.  Thats right, you have a suck-y life. 5-10 years from now when he has had a full opportunity to exceed all expectations, the Lebron haters will realize they latched on to the wrong cause. I hope Lebron wins umpteen championships & becomes the most unstoppable and feared player in the league. I say that not only as a fan but as someone who wants to see him go even further than anyone has ever imagined if only for the sake of showing people how ridiculous they are. 


Oh, Laker fans I see ya'll. Get your predictable ass arguments about Lebron having 1 ring and Kobe having 5 rings ready. So typical. So original. 


Just get over yourselves.