LeBron James is a wise guy. Trust me, because as the cliché goes, “it takes one to know one.” When you have hundreds of millions of dollars courtesy of the free marketplace, cracking wise is no great courage test, and that’s what LeBron is doing.
In the opening pro-basketball game between the Philadelphia 76ers and the New York Knicks, LeBron couldn’t quite make it through the Star-Spangled Banner. While the National Anthem was being sung, the older basketball star had a disco seizure. Or something. His teammates stood respectfully, but Mr. James fidgeted around even though he knew the Madison Square Garden cameras were capturing the immature display.
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Now, some might say, what’s the big deal? We’ve seen this before with Colin Kaepernick and others who showed the Anthem no respect. But LeBron James is a worldwide superstar, so his antics have influence. Apparently, the L-man hasn’t grasped that his team is named the 76ers, honoring America’s Independence, which began in 1776.
Predictably, it didn’t take long for President Trump to call LeBron “a total disgrace.” Whereupon the basketball player responded, “It must have been a slow day at the office.”
Boys, boys.
There is a chance that LeBron James wanted to tee off the President because he doesn’t like him. But that really doesn’t matter because LeBron insulted his country, not just its leader. A foolish move, especially in light of LeBron’s stated goal of helping young minority kids achieve prosperity.
That’s not how you do it, LBJ. As I write in my current bestselling book “Confronting America,” poor young people will often remain poor if they exhibit antisocial behavior, and that includes running down your country. Few are hiring Black Panthers these days. However, the pathway to prosperity in the USA remains intact, but there are rules for the road. LeBron can ignore some of them because of his God-given talent. But most of us cannot. Failure is a helluva lot easier than success.
There is nowhere else on earth where top-notch athletes and entertainers can earn what they earn here. Same goes for tradespeople, business owners, even teachers in some places. Yes, Americans have a protected right to scorn their country. But they are idiots to do so.
No better place. I’ve been to 90 nations.
Instead of providing a bad example to young disadvantaged children, maybe LeBron James wises up and advises against neck tattoos and foul language every two seconds (the MF-er phrase was worn out years ago). Perhaps James tells the story of his own success in the context of what he’s learned during his long career.
Or maybe he should sing the National Anthem at a Sixers game or at least hum along. What say you, big fella?
Predictably, it didn’t take long for President Trump to call LeBron “a total disgrace.” Whereupon the basketball player responded, “It must have been a slow day at the office.”
Boys, boys.
There is a chance that LeBron James wanted to tee off the President because he doesn’t like him. But that really doesn’t matter because LeBron insulted his country, not just its leader. A foolish move, especially in light of LeBron’s stated goal of helping young minority kids achieve prosperity.
That’s not how you do it, LBJ. As I write in my current bestselling book “Confronting America,” poor young people will often remain poor if they exhibit antisocial behavior, and that includes running down your country. Few are hiring Black Panthers these days. However, the pathway to prosperity in the USA remains intact, but there are rules for the road. LeBron can ignore some of them because of his God-given talent. But most of us cannot. Failure is a helluva lot easier than success.
There is nowhere else on earth where top-notch athletes and entertainers can earn what they earn here. Same goes for tradespeople, business owners, even teachers in some places. Yes, Americans have a protected right to scorn their country. But they are idiots to do so.
No better place. I’ve been to 90 nations.
Instead of providing a bad example to young disadvantaged children, maybe LeBron James wises up and advises against neck tattoos and foul language every two seconds (the MF-er phrase was worn out years ago). Perhaps James tells the story of his own success in the context of what he’s learned during his long career.
Or maybe he should sing the National Anthem at a Sixers game or at least hum along. What say you, big fella?
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