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Not many athletes have dominated their sport as LeBron James has with NBA basketball since being drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003. James is a force of nature, both on and off the court. He has garnered millions of fans around the world in the process.
With fame and fortune come haters, though. Media and fans alike have been critical of some of the decisions James has made throughout the last two decades. James has an unprecedented ability to control his career and the paths of his teams like no other player before him.
We'll talk about some of the most controversial choices, remarks, and events of LeBron James' career. None of them ended up being as bad as they were treated at the time, but it's important to see how people felt in the moment.
#5 - James' Mom Buys Him a Hummer
LeBron James was one of the most scrutinized and famous high school athletes ever in the early 2000s. ESPN even telecast his games on their main network, a rarity for underage athletes, especially before social media. There was no move more dissected than when James' mother bought him an H2 Hummer on his 18th birthday.
Not only are the vehicles expensive, but Hummer auto insurance is no walk in the park, either. It led many to wonder how James' mother got access to the funds that paid for the vehicle.
Speculation ran rampant that Nike put money toward the gift, which would be strictly against many rules for high school athletes.
James' mother said she took out a loan north of $50,000 to pay for the Hummer. This didn't dissuade many people from still spreading rumors about the way the vehicle was funded.
The Hummer was auctioned off a few years ago for more than the original price. Many fans now advocate for high school and college athletes to sign endorsements and make money off their likenesses.
#4 - James Tweets About Ma'Khia Bryant Shooting
After a girl named Ma'Khia Bryant was fatally shot by police in Ohio in April 2021, LeBron James posted a photo of the police officer who fired at the 16-year-old with the caption "YOU'RE NEXT" and the hashtag "ACCOUNTABILITY". James has long been a passionate advocate of citizens' rights during encounters with police and law enforcement.
Some critics felt James' tweet was controversial because it could be interpreted as encouraging violence against the officer depicted in the tweet. James decided to delete the tweet after a significant backlash. He continues to be an involved and loud voice in the conversation surrounding police brutality.
#3 - James' Remarks After the 2011 NBA Finals
One of the worst losses of LeBron James' career came in the 2011 NBA Finals when his favored Miami Heat bowed out to the underdog of the playoffs, the Dallas Mavericks.
James put up a poor performance in the series, and many were eager to rain on his parade with insults. Anticipating the venom that was to come, James laid into the detractors before they could even get started.
"All the people that were rooting on me to fail, 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."
James' comments were controversial due to him seemingly insinuating that his life is much more enjoyable than his critics' lives.
It wasn't the first time in that series that LeBron was under fire. Just days earlier, James and his Heat teammate, Dwyane Wade, appeared to poke fun at Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki for coming down with an illness.
#2 - Deciding to Leave Cleveland
Cleveland is full of wonderful attractions and benefits for residents, from things like the Cleveland Museum of Art to Playhouse Square. Car insurance in Ohio can be very affordable, and as the second-largest city in the state, it is full of wonderful eating and entertainment options. Why would anyone leave?
Every athlete has the right to leave their team in free agency, though. This is like any normal person changing careers or switching from one firm to another. The method James took to announce his employment change ended up being very controversial, though.
LeBron James televised his decision to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers in July of 2010. The show got big ratings on ESPN, but NBA commissioner David Stern thought the process could have been done differently.
The diehard fans in Cleveland mostly have gotten over it. He returned to the franchise and brought a championship to the Ohio area for the first time in decades after beating the Golden State Warriors in 2016.
This was the pinnacle of James' ability to control his own destiny in a way that other athletes simply weren't able to do before him. He has opened the doors for many other sportsmen to take matters into their own hands. This has changed the game forever, whether folks agree with it or not.
#1 - Comments on Daryl Morey and China
Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey is known for trading for superstar James Harden. He's also known for calling out China on its treatment of Uyghurs in 2019. Uyghurs are an ethnic group originating from Turkey who live in Northwest China. There have been many proposed human rights violations against the Uyghurs.
LeBron James and his Los Angeles Laker teammates were overseas in the country during the time of Morey's comments, leading to extreme friction between the Chinese government and the NBA.
Morey's tweet was trying to call out a human rights violation that was happening on foreign soil. James criticized Morey for not thinking about the consequences of the comments for Americans like him who were in China at the time.
Many were mad at James for not sharing Morey's sentiments, especially because James is still so vocal about domestic political issues like Black Lives Matter and police violence.
LeBron James has overcome a lot of controversies and come out on the other side as an even more successful person. That's something we all can hope to achieve in our own endeavors.
Shawn Laib writes and researches for the auto insurance comparison site, AutoInsuranceEZ.com. He wants to educate people on the ways that celebrities and vehicle culture intersect.
