The knee-taker

But he does take a knee... 💅 https://t.co/3roDExCI6a

— Kimberly Guilfoyle (@kimguilfoyle) August 21, 2020

"I offer you the gift of social enlightenment!"

From the satirical Babylon Bee:

LOS ANGELES, CA—We all know LeBron James is an amazing human being, but seriously. Just when we thought he couldn't get any better, local media caught this powerful moment and WE CAN'T EVEN. Cameras caught the inspiring, heartwarming moment LeBron approached a homeless man last week at one of LA's many tent cities.

According to sources, the homeless man held out his hand to LeBron's approaching car to ask for some spare change. What happened next gives us faith in humanity again.

The world-famous NBA player looked at the poor man's outstretched hand. Smiling kindly he said, "Silver and gold have I none, but in the name of #BlackLivesMatter, I offer you the gift of social enlightenment!"

LeBron James then proceeded to lecture the lucky panhandler on his white privilege, offering helpful ways to "be better" in the future. "I was shocked," said Mike "CrazyEyes" McCluckerson, the homeless Marine Corps vet after LeBron's helpful exhortation. "I was raised by a family of possums under an abandoned bridge, but I had no idea how many advantages my whiteness had given me in life. Furthermore, Mr. James illuminated a host of unconscious biases I harbored in my heart without even knowing it. This moment marks a turning point in my never-ending journey to relinquish the mantle of privilege Western colonialism has afforded me."

Mr. McCluckerson then offered Lebron James his scarf as a token of thanks. James didn't have any cash to offer the homeless man, but he did make a $100 donation to Black Lives Matter in his name. What a BEAUTIFUL gesture. Go, LeBron!

All-knowing LeBron

"Once the Hong Kong question was exposed, though, it was deeply revolting to watch those who benefit most in a meritocratic society acquiescing to the illiberal diktats of a foreign regime."

In the Federalist, David Harsanyi takes on Lebron James.

Americans tend to use word like “stand” and “fight” in their political disagreements, although they never really have to stand and fight for anything. Tank Man stood and fought. The Hong Kong protesters stand and fight. We take to social media and argue. Posting a Nike-approved picture on your Instagram account of Kaepernick—adorned with the $40-million market-test slogan, “Believe in something, Even if it means sacrificing everything”—is not an act of bravery, LeBron.

...There’s nothing wrong with playing NBA games in China. The Chinese people are the victims of their system, after all, and the more connection they have to the rest of the world the better. There isn’t really even any pressing demand for professional athletes to speak out on geopolitical issues. Once the Hong Kong question was exposed, though, it was deeply revolting to watch those who benefit most in a meritocratic society acquiescing to the illiberal diktats of a foreign regime.

It’s especially galling to listen to those who peddle hysteria about contemporary American politics pandering to the Chinese commissars. Apparently, those most prone to calling out pretend Hitlers can’t get themselves to say a negative word about real-world Hitlers.

Take Warriors coach Steve Kerr, a constant social media commentator, with opinions on seemingly every contemporary political issue. First, Kerr deflected questions about the totalitarian Chinese state by risibly claiming he needed to confer with his brother-in-law, a professor, to get a better handle on the issue. When later asked if he’d ever been confronted about human rights abuses on his previous trips to China, Kerr replied, “No. Nor has (America’s) record of human rights abuses come up either… People in China didn’t ask me about, you know, people owning AR-15s and mowing each other down in a mall.”

Showing contempt for your own country doesn’t erase 70 years of mass murder, famine, and incomprehensible hardship for the Chinese people. The Chinese state not only sanctions concentration camps today, it subjects countless people to other forms of totalitarianism. Those who shoot AR-15s in American malls are criminals and murderers who are breaking an array of laws in a free country. Not a single politician or organization approves of their actions. The fact that Kerr would compare the two is at best clueless, and at worst shamefully unpatriotic.

What happened? The Chinese Basketball Association cut some ties with the Rockets, and it would probably cut ties with the NBA if players and managers had the decency to speak out.

I suppose it’s too much to expect NBA stars to back Hong Kong freedom fighters rather than agonize over rounding errors in their banking accounts. The NBA wants to make money in China. There’s nothing wrong with exporting capitalism. But if the NBA is going to start adopting and enforcing the illiberalism of the Chinese state to make money, it becomes a huge ethical problem.

Read more here.

Who made your shoes?

In Breitbart, John Binder reports,

Last year, alone, Nike laid off about 1,400 American workers in its headquarters town of Beaverton, Oregon.

...In 2015, a screen printing factory in Clarence, New York used by Nike to make T-shirts that once employed nearly 170 Americans announced it was closing up shop and sending the jobs to low wage Honduras. The average minimum wage worker in Honduras earns less than $8,000 a year.

For more than three and half decades, Nike has employed most of its workforce in low wage Vietnam and China, rather than the United States. For example, as of this year, Nike has 46 percent of its products produced in Vietnam, where the year minimum wage is close to $1,000. About 27 percent of its products are made in China, where the average worker earns less than $5,000 a year.

Read more here.

In a related article here, Lebron James said,

“I stand with Nike, all day, every day.”

Laura responds to LeBron and Kevin

Are you familiar with Laura Ingraham's recent calling out of LeBron James and Kevin Durant for their remarks about President Trump? Here is a recap and Laura's response to their response.

Laura Ingraham issues invitation to LeBron to come on her show

Laura Ingraham tweeted to LeBron James,

Hey King, Come play on my Court next week. You’re invited on the show anytime.

Warner Todd Houston reports in Breitbart,

Fox News host Laura Ingraham has challenged Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James to come on her show, and debate the mixing of sports and politics.
The invite comes after critics slammed Ingraham for telling the NBA star to “shut up and dribble,” instead of talking about politics.

Ingraham tweeted out the invitation after taking the slings and arrows of a list of entertainers and sports figures for her criticism of the player.

Ingraham was responding to yet another anti-Trump screed from the player who was heard saying Trump “doesn’t give a f**k” about people on the Uninterrupted Rolling With Champion podcast.

The evening Fox News host took criticism from a list of sports figures and at least one entertainer after she criticized James. Included among the attackers were Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade, Philadelphia Eagles DE Chris Long, Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant, and actress Ellen Pompeo.

Fox News has since released a statement from Laura Ingraham answering to her critics:

“In 2003, I wrote a New York Times bestseller called ‘Shut Up & Sing,’ in which I criticized celebrities like the Dixie Chicks & Barbra Streisand who were trashing then-President George W. Bush. I have used a variation of that title for more than 15 years to respond to performers who sound off on politics. I’ve told Robert DeNiro to ‘Shut Up & Act,’ Jimmy Kimmel to ‘Shut Up & Make Us Laugh,’ and just this week told the San Antonio Spurs’ Gregg Popovich to ‘Shut up & Coach.’ If pro athletes and entertainers want to freelance as political pundits, then they should not be surprised when they’re called out for insulting politicians. There was no racial intent in my remarks – false, defamatory charges of racism are a transparent attempt to immunize entertainment and sports elites from scrutiny and criticism. Additionally, we stated on my show that these comments came from an ESPN podcast, which was not the case – the content was unaffiliated with ESPN.”

James has not yet responded to the invitation to appear on Ingraham’s show.

Can anyone corroborate this story?

Ryan Hasman reports at ESPN News,

In a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, (Lebron) James was asked about his beast-like brawn. He smirked and said, “It’s all thanks to my special vitamins”, while pulling a small bottle of pills out of his designer backpack. Little did LeBron know, that off-the-court play would be a defining moment of his career. When the interview was released, the headline indirectly accused LJ of using illegal substances. The author also said it’s impossible for a human to naturally put on 65 pounds of hard, lean muscle in just 18 months.

James held an emergency press conference to clear the air about his ‘Secret Weapon’ as he calls it. LeBron did admit that his pills have given him an unfair strength-advantage over his competitors. However, he says his magical supplement is not an illegal substance.

This mystery muscle builder is a supplement called Alpha Testosterone. It’s also known as Drug-Free Steroids. These little pills are a catalyst that burns fat and builds hard, lean muscle. And they are specially designed to take the average joe and give him superhuman strength and stamina.

When word got out, NBA commissioner, Adam Silver, requested an immediate meeting with LeBron and Dan Gilbert (owner of the Cavaliers). It’s not clear what exactly went on at the meeting, however what is known is: King James is officially on NBA probation until further notice. This is a crushing blow for Cleveland, who just won their first world title last year, and just lost to the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.

I Googled "Is Lebron James on probation? No corroborating story came up. I think this whole story is an ad for these pills. Where did I see it? On Facebook, which is notorious for fake news stories. I looked for a date on the ESPN story. It does not give a date, but it has 2d, which I assume means it is two days old. No wonder both ESPN and Facebook have such bad reputations.

Bring it on!

Lebron James refuses to stay in the Trump hotel when the Cavs come to New York to play the Knicks this week. All I can say is I hope the Cavs are paired up against the Warriors in the playoffs.

Eleven-year-old fifth grade son of LeBron James plays just like his dad

How the 3-point shot has changed basketball

Tom Haberstroh writes at ESPN,

LeBron James is one of the greatest athletes the world has ever seen.

The body of an NFL linebacker. The speed of a track star. The vision and precision of a marksman. The basketball mind of a computer. All rolled into one package barreling right at you on his way to the rim.

How do you defeat such a modern-day Goliath?

With a slingshot, of course.

In the NBA, they call it a 3-pointer.

...By 1967, former NBA great George Mikan had become the commissioner of the NBA's upstart rival, the American Basketball Association. Desperate for fans, the ABA implemented the 3-point shot for the 1967-68 season to juice up the action, adopting it from the defunct American Basketball League, where it originated.

"We called it the home run, because the 3-pointer was exactly that," Mikan said in "Loose Balls," Terry Pluto's definitive history of the ABA. "It brought the fans out of their seats."

Stephen Curry and the Warriors used the power of the 3-ball to become a powerhouse in the NBA. AP Photo/Ben Margot

Read more here.

Unprecedented resilience

Dan Diamond writes at Forbes,

Over the past five seasons, LeBron’s played a total of 18,087 minutes, counting the regular season and the playoffs.

What that means: Compared to every other player, LeBron’s played at least 15% more minutes than anyone else in the league. He’s played nearly 2,500 more minutes than Kevin Durant, the runner-up.

Basically, pick any other NBA player. Since 2010, LeBron has played the equivalent of at least one extra season compared to that player — and likely, a lot more.

And over the past ten seasons, the minutes gap widens — LeBron has a 20% edge on Joe Johnson (who’s played the second-most minutes) and a 30% edge on Tim Duncan (who’s played the tenth-most). Duncan’s played 8,509 fewer minutes than LeBron since 2005 — basically four seasons fewer worth of games.

...LeBron’s resilience is one reason why his teams benefit so much from his greatness; his ability to avoid injuries means that he can stay on the floor, making his mark on the game.

And while it’s not clear how he does it (Is it his strength? His genes? His recovery method?), we tend to take LeBron’s presence for granted.

But I’d argue LeBron’s unprecedented resilience is its own greatness. The NBA has never seen anything like it.

And as fans, we haven’t either.

Read more here.

Motivation

So now the media and some NBA stars are questioning the motivation of the Golden State Warriors players, despite the closesness of the first three games and their ferocious comeback in game three. It is true that LeBron James is showing a powerful desire to win. In fact, after game two he told reporters that he has an extra motivation that he is not going to reveal until after the series concludes.

Koby Bryant tweeted out that

"Cavs playing as if their life is on the line G.S playing as if they have more #NBAFinals down the line #ThisIsNOW#competitionIsEverything."

Where are you playing this week Koby?
Read more here.