 At the Big Strick Classic, I met with guest speaker Corey “Homicide” Williams. He was always a very solid talent on the court and he had some good words to say to the high schoolers trying to achieve their dream. Homicide Williams was teammates with former NBA player Felipe Lopez and he was an extremely good player when he was younger so it was truly an honor to meet him and interview him. So, without further ado, here is my interview with Corey “Homicide” Williams at the Big Strick Classic. This was the last of my Big Strick Classic interviews and I can’t wait until next year to do it again. Anyway, coming up soon, we head to the Rucker to interview an NBA legend and a great commentator. Thanks for reading and please comment!
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 At the Big Strick Classic, my brother and I interviewed many great high school players that have dreams of making the NBA. However, this interview was a guest speaker. Jay Hargett was compared to Allen Iverson with his crossover moves when he was younger and he always wanted to be like him. It was truly a blessing for him to allow me the honor of interviewing someone of his caliber. Anyway, here was my interview with a motivational guest speaker Jay Hargett. It was truly an honor to meet and interview Jay Hargett and I hope I will see him there next year. My next interview was with Corey “Homicide” Williams who was teammates with NBA’s own Felipe Lopez. Anyway, thanks for reading and please comment!
 At the Big Strick Classic, lots of high school prospects oozed talent from both team USA and team NYC and I saw lots coming specifically from Omari Spellman. This big man can shoot the three from wherever he wants and he is a center so it comes naturally for him to do work in the post. Anyway, Omari is a very solid team NYC talent and he helped lead them to victory. Anyway, this was my interview with high school prospect Omari Spellman. This is the last of my player interviews for the Big Strick Classic. Coming next will be interviews with two inspirational speakers, Jay Hargett and Corey “Homicide” Williams. Anyway, thanks for reading and please comment!
 At the Big Strick Classic, there were lots of nice high school prospects with talent that can be transformed into potential NBA players. One of these specific players was Rawle Alkins who has insane hops and a silk smooth jumpshot. It would be so cool if he makes the NBA and I am sure he can progress to be a very solid basketball player. Anyway, without further ado, here is my interview with Rawle Alkins. This is one of the many interviews I still have to post so there will be more posts soon. Anyway, thanks for reading and please comment!
 At the Big Strick Classic at the Gauchos Gym in New York City, there were many players that I was gifted enough to meet and interview many great high school prospects. The person I interviewed this time was Jesse Govan. Jesse Govan is a really nice person to be with and I was extremely privileged to interview him and talk to him. He played very well at the Big Strick Classic and hopefully he will be invited back next year. So without further ado, here is my interview with high school prospect Jesse Govan. This is one of the many interviews I still have so there wil be many more posts soon. Thanks for reading and please comment!
 At the Big Strick Classic, there were lots of players that I was privileged enough to interview and talk to lots of them. It was a really awesome experience and I will certainly be back there next year. This interview consisted of Lamar Stevens at the Big Strick Classic. This is one of the many interviews I still have so there wil be many more posts soon. Thanks for reading and please comment!
 At the Big Strick Classic, there were lots of players that I was privileged enough to interview and talk to lots of them. It was a really awesome experience and I will certainly be back there next year. This interview consisted of Mario Kegler at the Big Strick Classic. This is one of the many interviews I still have so there wil be many more posts soon. Thanks for reading and please comment!
This is one of the many interviews I still have so there wil be many more posts soon. Thanks for reading and please comment! 
Yesterday my brother and I were on channel 9 which viewed in New York and New Jersey on the show “Chasing NJ” because of this blog. I am very happy and none of it would have ever happened without the help of Jessica Nutt and the cast of Chasing NJ. I am very blessed to have such a great opportunity and I hope another opportunity like this comes around soon. Below is the interview and segment from the show.
Once again, a big thanks to Jessica Nutt and the whole Chasing NJ crew. My brother and I are very honored to have this opportunity and cannot be any more thankful. Thanks for all the support and this was a great experience for the whole NBABrothers team. Anyway, thanks for reading and please comment!
If you want to see the full article on channel 9 click here: http://www.my9nj.com/story/26426309/nj-brothers-basketball-getting-a-lot-of-attention New updated link is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDhUkhZNXpQ  Recently at JR Inman’s Rocktown Academy camp, Kyle Anderson made a guest speech and talked about his journey to the NBA. It was a very interesting story and I was really hooked in. Anyway, after the lecture he allowed autographs on any object of clothing or paper. My brother and I chose our sneakers to get signed. Here they are below:
 This was my interview with Kyle Anderson at JR Inman's Rocktown Monarchs camp. It was lots of fun and he is a really great guy. Anyway, I will be returning to Big Strick Classic interviews soon. So for now, thanks for reading and please comment!
 Of course, my ultimate dream job is to be a professional basketball player in the NBA. However, if that doesn’t happen, the next best thing would be to work for the NBA. Imagine going to a job every day to support the game you love so much? It’s the type of job you would look forward to going to every single day! I wanted to find out more about life in the NBA beyond the court and was lucky enough to interview a NBA executive at their NYC offices. When I was there, it was very exciting to imagine who possibly walked in those very same halls. When you walk out of the elevator, basketball is larger than life and literally wall-to-wall. Step behind the doors and there are basketball photos and cool stuff everywhere. It’s an amazing place. During my visit, I asked our NBA source about what it’s like to work in the NBA and other topics including LeBron’s move, who will take rookie of the year, and what fans can expect during the upcoming NBA season:  Q: What is the best thing about working for the NBA? A: Going to the games is a fun perk but from a work standpoint, it’s the ability to work with some great people. The last commissioner David Stern was one of the smartest men I’ve ever worked with and I was fortunate to work closely with him. The current commissioner Adam Silver and Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum, are not only two of the nicest people but also two of the smartest people. Basically, it’s fun to work in sports. I’ve always been a big sports fan and coming to work and having fun every day is probably the best part. Q: Do you have some favorite career highlights? A: A few moments that stand out for me include being in the arena during Vince Carter slam dunk contest, meeting Michael Jordan, and being in the Celtics arena when they won championship with Garnett and Pierce. I think the biggest highlight has been the chance to meet a lot of great players along the way, who are very good guys and really care about the fans and care about their families. Chris Paul and Kevin Durant are good examples for both what they do on and off the court.  Q: What do you think of LeBron’s move to Cleveland? A: Well, he really has the right to do whatever he wants. I think it’s exciting that he’s going back to Cleveland for the reasons that he’s doing it. Obviously, he’s had a great run in Miami--going to four finals and winning two championships is unbelievable. I think a lot of people, except for maybe the fans in Miami, are pretty excited about it and pretty happy with it and I think it’s going to be interesting to see what he does in Cleveland. Q: Do you think the Knicks will make the playoffs this year? A: That’s a tough one. In the East, there are clearly a few teams that should be pretty strong. I don’t think the Knicks will be a contender. Can they make the playoffs? I think there is a decent chance they may make the playoffs so I think you have some hope…some of the moves they made in the off season should certainly help them out this year.  Q: Who’s your pick for rookie of the year? A: Another tough question. Wiggins is probably the favorite at this point but this is a strong draft class--one of the strongest we’ve had in long time. There’s a lot of players that could easily be rookie of the year and a lot of it depends on the situations they are in and how much time they play. I think there are a lot of players with a bright future ahead. It’s a tough call but I guess you have to go with number one pick until proven otherwise. So, I guess I would pick Wiggins. Q: What plans do you have for this upcoming season to bring more fan interest to the NBA? A: We are always trying to improve the fan experience. So whether it is through technology and new ways to get fans to interact or finding ways to get kids to play basketball and stay fit, we always have the fans in mind. I think there are a lot of fun storylines this year. There’s been a lot of movement in the offseason and some of the rivalries that built over the last few years will be a focus. Can LeBron and the Cavs make it back to the finals? Can they beat the Spurs in the finals if they match up again? Can Oklahoma City finally get over the hump? Can teams like Washington, Atlanta, and Golden State, which have taken steps forward over recent years, take the next step and become real contenders this year? I think a lot of those story lines will take care of themselves and we will try to just deliver the fans what they want the best we can.  Q: What advice do you have kids that want to have a job like you?
A: Study hard, most importantly. Also, have fun and play basketball and play sports. Also, listen to your parents. I think if you study hard and remember to be nice to people in whatever you do, you will be happy. It’s all about the way you deal with people. You can be smartest person in the world but if you can’t be nice to people or you don’t work well with others, you won’t enjoy the job you do. As always, thanks for reading my blog. I hope you enjoyed reading this interview as much as I did when I was at the NBA offices. Let me know if you have any future questions that you would like me to ask. Once again, thanks for reading and please comment!  At the Big Strick Classic interviewing a bunch of high school prospects that can someday make the jump to the NBA, I also met with a Tri-State Classic organizer, Mousey, who has been involved with the Big Strick Classic since the beginning of the event. I was truly honored to interview him not just because of his coaching success at the Rucker but because of the way the Tri-State Classic is turning out as its’ 8th summer is winding down. It was truly and honor just meeting him but I got to interview him as well. So, here is my interview with Coach Mousey. This was my interview with Coach Mousey. It was a lot of fun at the Big Strick Classic with him and I really enjoyed him being there. It was an emotional interview because of the passing of one of his good friends and streetball legend, James "Stixx" Williams, #34 of Brooklyn. More interviews and highlights will be coming soon! Thanks for reading and please comment!
 When I went to the Big Strick Classic on Friday and Saturday, I met with many great players and guest speakers. Firstly, I met with Steven Zimmerman and he was very nice to me and my brother just like last year. He is a really cool guy to hang out with and he has insane game. At the end of the Big Strick Classic, he gave my brother and I his jersey signed!!! It was a great feeling to get his jersey but without further ado, here is my interview with high school star Steven Zimmerman.  This was my interview with Steven Zimmerman. It was a lot of fun at the Big Strick Classic and watching him ball out, and he was showing us his moves in the scrimmage and the actual game. It was a lot of fun at the Big Strick Classic and there will be more interviews coming out soon. For now, thanks for reading and please comment!
 When I went to the Tri-State Classic, I saw lots of famous people and streetball legends. I met Gilbert Arenas and Fat Joe which I posted about in previous blogs, but I also interviewed streetball legend, Total Package. Total Package (TP), was a real beast when he used to play. Also, the name does not lie, he really is the Total Package. I also was fortunate enough to interview him and he had some great things to talk about with me. So, here is my interview with TP. This was my interview with TP, Total Package. He was very nice to interview and a really cool person to hang with. Also, we will be covering the Big Strick Classic all this weekend. So, thanks for reading and please comment!
 In continuation of the Rucker Park experience, I interviewed 2 great players. I was very fortunate to learn about some of their stat highs and greatest moments in their life. The two other ballers I interviewed were Anti-Freeze and The Beast, two very nice street ballers that took the time out of their night to let me know some things about them. So, here are the interviews.  Firstly, I interviewed Anti-Freeze who is a quick point guard who can get to the rim and finish. He was a very cool dude to hang with and I was extremely fortunate to talk with him. So, here is my Anti-Freeze interview.  Lastly, I interviewed the Beast and no joke, he is a beast! He grabs boards strong and puts it back through hard and gets hype real easy. So, here is my interview with the Beast. (Just like the Happy Feet and Peter Mulligan interviews, it was late at night so we could not record the interview so it is a podcast.) So, these were the last two of my four street baller interviews at the Rucker. My interview with Total Package will be coming soon! Anyway, thanks for reading and please comment!
 When I went to Rucker Park a little while back, I interviewed 2 awesome players from Ooh-Way Records. They were very nice to me and I was astonished by some of their stat highs and greatest moments in their life. The two people I interviewed were Happy Feet and Peter Mulligan, two very kind street ballers that took the time to let me know some things about them. So, here are the interviews.  First off, I interviewed Happy Feet who was very kind and had some awesome things to tell me. So, here is the interview below. (By the way, it was late at night so we could not record the interview so it is a podcast.)  Lastly, I interviewed Peter Mulligan who was a great person to meet and he had some cool achievements. So, here is the interview below. (Just like the Happy Feet interview, it was late at night so we could not record the interview so it is a podcast.) So, these were two of my four street baller interviews at the Rucker. The other two interviews plus my interview with Total Package will be coming soon. Anyway, thanks for reading and please comment!
 On Friday, Team Fat Joe Melo defeated Team Kidd-Gilchrist, 76-67. It was tight for most of the way but near the end the Fat Joe Melo squad took over and ended it. Speaking of Team Fat Joe Melo, Fat Joe and Carmelo Anthony were there to support! They were there just as the park was getting packed. Also there was Cleanthony Early, the Knicks draft pick from this year. Also, we were invited to an Inside Streetball segment with the announcer Cha-Ching and a couple of players that had done well from both sides. So, here is the segment that the Inside Streetball team worked hard on and I think it came out great. Here is the Behind the Scenes video.  I also met a streetball legend, Shane the dribble machine. You can follow him on Instagram and twitter with the tag @dribblemachine. Anyway, he was really nice to meet and he was very kind to us. I hope I can see him at another tournament sometime soon.  So, to sum it up, team Fat Joe Melo comes away victorious and the Tri-State Classic was very excited to see Carmelo himself be there. I hope I can see him again sometime. Anyway, thanks for reading and please comment!
 When I went to the Tri-State Classic last Friday, I got the chance to meet the NBA’s own Gilbert Arenas. He is a really nice person and he was a pleasure to meet. He is really nice and cool to hang out with. When I saw him, I could not believe it was him and I actually also got to interview him! So, here is the interview down below.  Well, this was the Gilbert Arenas interview and it was an honor to meet him. Also, the other Rucker Park and Tri-State Classic interviews will be coming out soon. Anyway, thanks for reading and please comment!
 When I went to the Tri-State Classic, I met streetball coach Fat Joe. I’ve seen him in many streetball shows like the blackout and many more. It was truly an honor meeting him and to be honest, it was really nerve wracking. It turns out, he is a very chill and cool person and he was really nice to me and my brother. He also allowed me to interview him. So, here is the interview with streetball coach Fat Joe.  I also met Mousey from the Tri-State Classic. He runs the tournament and was very nice to me and Chris. He is a fun person to hang around. This was my interview with Fat Joe at the Tri-State Classic. I had a lot of fun there and I hope to go back there soon. Well, thanks for reading and please comment! Coming out tomorrow is my interview with Gilbert Arenas!  When my brother and I went to the Rucker for the second time we got a chance to interview Anthony Mason Jr. from Ooh-Way Records. If you did not know, he is the son of Knicks legend Anthony Mason. Mason Jr is a very nice person and an extremely athletic player. He was kind enough to let me interview him and he is great person to hang out with. So, here is the video interview. Below is the podcast version.  His coach on Ooh Way Records, Sonny, is a really nice person as well but when it is game time he gets intense. Other than that, he was nice enough to let me and my brother get a picture with him and he is a cool person to hang out with in general. Check out his blog: http://oohway1523.blogspot.com/
This was my interview with Anthony Mason Jr. at Rucker Park. By the way, it was his first year at the EBC Rucker Park tournament! Exclusive interviews coming out this week including Fat Joe, Gilbert Arenas and streetball and NYC legends like Happy Feet, Total Package, Anti-Freeze including Mousey and the Tri-State Classic! . Don't forget to check out the Blog tomorrow and view Chris's first interview ever featuring Anthony Mason Jr.. Thanks for reading and please comment! 
 Other than Kemba Walker, I also met and interviewed CEO Greg Marius, a great commentator in Hannibal, and I have some footage of live gameplay from Rucker! So, here is part 2 of 3 Rucker Park segments.  When I met Greg Marius, he was a really nice person and even allowed me to interview him about how he organizes everything. He is a really nice guy and once you meet him, you may not want to leave him. He explained to me how much the game of basketball means to him and how much fun he has organizing some great tournaments every step of the way. He was also kind enough to let me interview him. So, here is the podcast.  @hannibal_ebc on Instagram and Twitter I also met commentator Hannibal who was also really nice and you will probably here his voice on the YouTube video. He likes to say boy boy a lot and was really fun to hang out with. I’m extremely happy that I got to meet him and his assistant. Well, that is what I got. Part 2 of 3 of the Rucker Park interviews and more is complete. The video of Rucker Park and its players is directly below. Thanks for reading and please comment! 
 On Thursday (July 10th), I visited one of basketball’s greatest street ball parks, Rucker Park. I got the true New York experience and I got to see some great players including one known as Kemba Walker play on the hardwood. I’ll get to that stuff in a second. Anyway, the experience at Rucker Park really gave me a good sense of what street ball looks like. There was lots of dunking and crossover moves that got the crowd ooh-ing and aah-ing. It was packed and it was not easy to find a seat to watch these players ball out, but if you got in you would definitely know that it was worth waiting in line. I also interviewed many players at Rucker which I will talk about in upcoming blogs but today I will talk about interviewing Charlotte Hornets point guard Kemba Walker.  Kemba Walker is a very nice person to be with and I am happy he gave me the opportunity to interview him. After this interview, I realized that he was not just a guy that put people on the floor doing beautiful crossovers, but he is a very normal person just like me and you and I have just became one of his biggest fans. Anyway, here is the interview with the one and only Charlotte Hornets starting point guard Kemba Walker. This is part 1 of the EBC Rucker Park tournament coverage. Last night, team Montana (Kemba’s team) defeated team Madoff 92-88. More coverage and interviews coming up soon for the blog. Thanks for reading and please comment!
 In the land of free agency, there are a lot of possibilities. Fans can’t help but dream of the remote chance that Carmelo, LeBron, or Dwyane Wade will sign up with their team. Here’s what I’d like to see happen and what I think will happen with some of the most wanted free agents of this summer. For Carmelo, I’d obviously like to see him stay with New York because of all he has done for the Knicks. I think he will end up staying with New York after looking at other options. I believe this for a simple reason. He always wanted to come to New York when he was in Denver and he finally got here. I feel like there is no way he is going to leave New York. Once you make it here, you want to stay here.
What I’d like to see happen is for LeBron to go back to Cleveland. I think it would be funny deciding between Kyrie, Andrew Wiggins, and LeBron James to take the final shot in a Cleveland game. In my opinion, it’s Kyrie for the game-winning shot out of those three. However, in the end, I think he will stay with Miami. He wanted Shabazz Napier to come badly. He kept tweeting about him and persuading him to come to Miami and Napier came. I just don’t see him leaving Miami at this point. Lastly, I want D-Wade to leave Miami. I don’t really care where he goes after that, just get out of Miami. However, I think he will unfortunately stay with Miami because he’s pretty comfortable there as the team leader and nobody else really wants him. He already has the best player in basketball taking a second seat to him. I just cannot see him leaving Miami to go to another team and having to get used to the other players. Here are some other notable free agents that are worth mentioning: Chris Bosh: I think he will stay in Miami. I can’t see the Big three splitting apart. Eric Bledsoe: I think he may move but it would be hard for him to say bye to Phoenix. Luol Deng: It’s anyone’s guess but if I had to choose, I think he will be find a home in Miami or possibly LA if Carmelo took that route. Pau Gasol: Sadly, I think Pau will be moved to Miami because he has been talking with Pat Riley. Nate Robinson: I believe that he will stay with Denver. Lance Stephenson: I think he will move, but I don’t know where. I can see him fitting in nicely with the Knicks. Evan Turner: He should be moved, but I don’t think he will go anywhere. Well, that is what I got. I think this should be an interesting free agency period and it should be very cool. What do you think about this year’s free agency period? Who goes where? Anyway, thanks for reading and please comment!  Hello everyone, today I am going to make my
predictions for the NBA Draft which goes on tonight. I am really excited to see who goes where in the draft and to see where greatness starts. I will be doing the first and second rounds for the draft and see how much I get correct. So, here are my predictions: R1#1: Cleveland Cavaliers: Andrew Wiggins (Kansas) R1#2: Milwaukee Bucks: Jabari Parker (Duke) R1#3: Philadelphia 76ers: Dante Exum (International) R1#4: Orlando Magic: Joel Embiid (Kansas) R1#5: Utah Jazz: Julius Randle (Kentucky) R1#6: Boston Celtics: Marcus Smart (Oklahoma State) R1#7: Los Angeles Lakers: Doug McDermott (Creighton) R1#8: Sacramento Kings: Noah Vonleh (Indiana) R1#9: Charlotte Hornets: Aaron Gordon (Arizona) R1#10: Philadelphia 76ers: T.J. Warren (N.C. State) R1#11: Denver Nuggets: Elfrid Payton (Lafayette) R1#12: Orlando Magic: Jusuf Nurkic (International) R1#13: Minnesota Timberwolves: Nik Stauskas (Michigan) R1#14: Phoenix Suns: Shabazz Napier (Connecticut) R1#15: Atlanta Hawks: Dario Saric (International) R1#16: Chicago Bulls: P.J. Hairston (NBA D-League) R1#17: Boston Celtics: Rodney Hood (Duke) R1#18: Phoenix Suns: Adreian Payne (Michigan State) R1#19: Chicago Bulls: Gary Harris (Michigan State) R1#20: Toronto Raptors: Jerami Grant (Syracuse) R1#21: Oklahoma City Thunder: Clint Capela (International) R1#22: Memphis Grizzlies: Jordan Adams (UCLA) R1#23: Utah Jazz: Tyler Ennis (Syracuse) R1#24: Charlotte Hornets: C.J. Wilcox (Washington) R1#25: Houston Rockets: Jarnell Stokes (Tennessee) R1#26: Miami Heat: Zach LaVine (UCLA) R1#27: Phoenix Suns: James Young (Kentucky) R1#28: Los Angeles Clippers: Kyle Anderson (UCLA) R1#29: Oklahoma City Thunder: Jordan Clarkson (Missouri) R1#30: San Antonio Spurs: Sean Kilpatrick (Cincinnati) R2#1: Milwaukee Bucks: Bogdan Bogdanovic (International) R2#2: Philadelphia 76ers: Mitch McGary (Michigan) R2#3: Cleveland Cavaliers: K.J. McDaniels (Clemson) R2#4: New York Knicks: Deonte Burton (Nevada) R2#5: Utah Jazz: Walter Tavares (International) R2#6: Milwaukee Bucks: Glenn Robinson III (Michigan) R2#7: Toronto Raptors: Cleanthony Early (Wichita State) R2#8: Detroit Pistons: Spencer Dinwiddie (Colorado) R2#9: Philadelphia 76ers: Damien Inglis (International) R2#10: Minnesota Timberwolves: Thanasis Antetokounmpo (Delaware) R2#11: Denver Nuggets: Joe Harris (Virginia) R2#12: Houston Rockets: Russ Smith (Louisville) R2#13: Atlanta Hawks: Vasilije Micic (International) R2#14: Minnesota Timberwolves: Patric Young (Florida) R2#15: Charlotte Hornets: Nikola Jokic (International) R2#16: Washington Wizards: Josh Huestis (Stanford) R2#17: Philadelphia 76ers: Nick Johnson (Arizona) R2#18: Milwaukee Bucks Jabari Brown (Missouri) R2#19: Chicago Bulls: DeAndre Daniels (Connecticut) R2#20: Phoenix Suns: Johnny O’ Bryant (LSU) R2#21: New York Knicks: Devyn Marble (Iowa) R2#22: Philadelphia 76ers: Artem Klimenko (International) R2#23: Minnesota Timberwolves: Cristiano Felicio (International) R2#24: Philadelphia 76ers: Markel Brown (Oklahoma State) R2#25: Miami Heat: Ioannis Papapetrou (International) R2#26: Orlando Magic: Jordan McRae (Tennessee) R2#27: Indiana Pacers: Dwight Powell (Stanford) R2#28: San Antonio Spurs: Khem Birch (UNLV) R2#29: Toronto Raptors: Jordan Bachynski (Arizona State) R2#30: San Antonio Spurs: Nemanja Dangubic (International) These are my first and second round picks. Do you agree with them or do you disagree? Tell me in the comment section who you think should be changed up. Did you think that someone who was not mentioned here should be here? Tell me! Anyway, thanks for reading and please comment!  LeBron James is the current “King” of basketball. But is he really? He certainly has the talent but he doesn’t have the true love of fans. Not like the basketball royalty that came before him. For example, Michael Jordon is considered by some to be the best of all time. And even if you don’t think he was the all-time greatest player, you can’t deny that he has the love of fans way beyond Chicago. When it comes to basketball, he has captured the hearts of the nation and maybe even around the world. That’s why I decided to explore why MJ won over the fans but LeBron hasn’t been able to do so. Many, many fans either love him or hate him…A LOT and it goes beyond his balling on the hardwood. I don’t think he will ever feel the love of fans that MJ and others have experienced. And here are five of my reasons why.
#1. Sportsmanship: I believe MJ commands respect but he also gives it back. He is a true sportsman on and off the court. And he makes you believe that the fans matter to him. LeBron cares about LeBron. He doesn’t seem to care whether the fans like him or not and he doesn’t seem to care much about the fans at all. And he is a sore loser. Remember when he lost his first title attempt, he said, “Now you can go back to your miserable lives and I’ll go back to mine.” Does that sound like a good sport to you? Or more recently, in Miami’s latest loss to the Spurs, “It’s only basketball.” Really, LeBron? Somehow, I think it would be a lot more than basketball if you actually won the title. LeBron could learn a lot from watching the interview clips of Michael Jordan, someone who did have international love, had good sportsmanship with opposing players and press and was respected at a national level. I’ve learned a lot by watching them and I think LeBron could do the same. #2. Flying vs. Flopping: MJ was known for taking flight across to reach the basket. What is LeBron known for? Flopping! Flopping to try and get that extra call. Enough said. #3. Results: My third reason for LeBron never being able to feel the love on a national level is simply because of the results. Starting with Michael Jordan, every time he went to the NBA Finals he won the championship. He was always able to close the deal and bring the title home. LeBron, however, has been to the championship 5 times and has won just 2 championships. Interestingly, the Spurs played him in 3 of the 5 series and he came out on top only once. #4. Leadership: My fourth reason comes down to “Leadership”. How can LeBron claim leadership if he is not even the captain or assistant captain of his team? Dwayne Wade is the captain and Udonis Haslem is the assistant captain. When he was the “leader” of his team with the Cavaliers, he left (making a real show of it) to go to the Miami Heat where he believed he would win because of having two other stars by his side (Wade and Bosh). When he could have ruled the basketball world, he actually took a backseat to Dwyane Wade. Now, Michael Jordan was the leader, captain, and everything else for his team. They ended up winning a lot of games and he was the face of basketball. And he was loyal to the city of Chicago, its team and its fans. I believe that loyalty is worth mentioning because of the way LeBron left Cleveland without even telling them. Dropped them flat to improve his chances. Still, I don’t think it is about leaving the team but more about the way he chose to do it. #5. Overall Likeability: My fifth and final reason comes down to the likability factor. Consider this: Everyone wanted “to be like Mike” but I don’t think you can say that about LeBron. He does not come across as authentic with his fans, it is more of a forced role that the people around him are encouraging. For example, in the commercials that LeBron has, it feels as if he is trying to be someone that he clearly is not. They try to make him relatable but it doesn’t seem to be real. He still stills to convey a separate better-than-you attitude. In one recent commercial, I thought it was funny that at the end, he leaves everyone behind the gate to go back to his mansion, which clearly separated him from the rest. In my opinion, Michael Jordan, on the other hand, was more authentic in his commercials and you felt like he was the person on the screen that he was not necessarily playing a role or different character. I mean he even made a kids movie, Space Jam, for the enjoyment of kids. He is a likeable guy that people want to be like. But, LeBron, heck no. LeBron loves LeBron, so who needs the hearts of fans? These five reasons are why I think LeBron will never be truly loved from an international perspective. He’ll be known at that level but I can’t see him ever feeling the love. And that’s seems like an awful big opportunity to miss. Tell me what you think about this. Do you think he can change his ways? Do you agree/disagree? I want to hear you in the comments section. Thanks for reading! |
Mike V.
My name is Mike V. I am an enormous basketball fan. I also am a die-hard Knicks fan. After graduating 5th grade, I started writing this blog at the age of 10 in the summer of 2012. Archives
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