"I've never seen so many people be so happy to see an athlete fail more than LeBron” - Anthony Edwards

[FrodoFraggins]

The Decision and bouncing from team to team for rings has something to do with it.

[bubonicphoniks]

So because Edwards and Luka liked him as kids we have to like him?

Sorry, I don't like him.

[shi-woo]

So why is MJ by far the most popular player ever?

You bolded one of the things I said in relation to Jordan.

Lebron is also one of the most popular players ever and he displays the whole list. The publicization of the two is also completely different as others have already detailed in this thread with regard to things like social media and the way sports media is produced.

Please think about it a bit.

And you said people who are able to get overlook his "behavior" are either ignorant, fans or have a high tolerance for it. The majority of people are able to overlook that "abhorrent" behavior because as you said, he's one of the most popular players ever. Sounds like you're the one with the problems, son.

Also lol at "propaganda".

Propaganda definition:
"Information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular cause or point of view."

Seems pretty accurate given his career.

- Having King Tatd on his back
- The Witness campaign
- The Decision
- The "Coming Home" Campaign
- The Finals MVP n a losing effort campaign
- The taking down of vids that embarrass him all throughout his career. The Crawford dunk being the biggest one
- The going to LA not to team up with another star, but wanting to be close to home and mentor the young guys campaign
- The fake reading as people have pointed out
- The Thunder were "favorites" in 2012 agenda after the loss
- The denial that he doesn't influence teams/players through his business/agency
- The constant downgrading of players or elevation of players based on whether he wins or loses. Typically typecast as the "We need more help" campaign.

I mean, you can go on and on and on and on. The amount of media mouthpieces this dude has is really quote impressive, and yes, it has all been propaganda, whether from his directly or 3rd parties indirectly, to make you believe in the narrative and agenda of LeBron is the best, a great guy, who is impeccable in every single way, who does no wrong, no faults.

It goes beyond the average best of all time, especially when you compare it to other GOATS of recent times like Kobe/Shaq, Tom Brady Derek Jeter, ect ect.

[DrModesty]

So why is MJ by far the most popular player ever?

You bolded one of the things I said in relation to Jordan.

Lebron is also one of the most popular players ever and he displays the whole list. The publicization of the two is also completely different as others have already detailed in this thread with regard to things like social media and the way sports media is produced.

Please think about it a bit.

And you said people who are able to get overlook his "behavior" are either ignorant, fans or have a high tolerance for it. The majority of people are able to overlook that "abhorrent" behavior because as you said, he's one of the most popular players ever. Sounds like you're the one with the problems, son.

Also lol at "propaganda".

1) His actions are his behaviors as is the case for all people.

2) You put the word abhorrent in quotation marks despite me never having used it and it having a substantially worse connotation than any words I used, essentially putting words in my mouth.

3) The majority of sports followers are either casual (usually comes with a level of ignorance), and are fans of great players (fans).

4) You then call me 'son' for some reason. Frankly embarrassing posting by you.

5) Yes, trying to control and influence the opinions of others by use of a publicly diseminated narrative is also known as propaganda.

Now to indulge in a little looking down of my own. I am not going to respond to you again in this thread because you are only offering up low quality, bad faith, instigative replies and I feel as though I am lowering myself to converse with you.

[SportsGuru08]

Full quote: "I've never seen so many people be so happy to see an athlete fail more than LeBron," Edwards said. "His whole career he's been hated on constantly and slandered to no end to the point where when he retires, nobody would have appreciated his greatness. I'm glad I will be one who did."

https://www.sportskeeda.com/basketball/news-he-s-hated-constantly-anthony-edwards-steps-lebron-james-getting-slandered-playoff-elimination

Jamal Murray recently praised him also:

Read on Twitter

?s=46

Luka always does as Lebron was his favourite player growing up. Seems like a lot of the young stars in the league regularly give Lebron his flowers. It’s the 30, 40 and 50 year olds that never played ball but grew up on MJ and Kobe that can’t appreciate greatness when they see it because they feel insecure about their childhood hero’s legacy. Unfortunate.

I wasn't aware LeBron's career started in 2011. Because that's when the hate began. And it was entirely his own doing; throwing off the league's competitive balance and taking the easy way out by forming a super team. Then of course the whole "not 1, not 2, not 3" nonsense when they hadn't even had a practice together, let alone played in a game.

Then he just continued adding to it
-wearing a "check my stats" shirt
-coming up with phony or exaggerated "injuries" to excuse his losses
-saying "It's just basketball" when on the verge of losing a Finals series
-having pre-planned, built-in excuses so he can either artificially inflate his legacy if he wins or absolve himself of blame if he loses
-having a bunch of media shills on his payroll who bend over day and night to micromanage the narrative about him in every facet
-making losing acceptable as long as you put up stats, thus lowering the standard of the GOAT debate.
-the constant martyr complex, namely the complaint that he "needs more help" as if LeBron is especially entitled to having help in ways that other players aren't.
-being a coach killer
-whining about his "respect" after the bubble ring then compounding it by saying it was the "hardest ring ever" which just reeks of desperation for validation.

So yes, he is hated. And all of that hate is entirely self-inflicted. He made this bed and now he must sleep in it.

[SportsGuru08]

You bolded one of the things I said in relation to Jordan.

Lebron is also one of the most popular players ever and he displays the whole list. The publicization of the two is also completely different as others have already detailed in this thread with regard to things like social media and the way sports media is produced.

Please think about it a bit.

And you said people who are able to get overlook his "behavior" are either ignorant, fans or have a high tolerance for it. The majority of people are able to overlook that "abhorrent" behavior because as you said, he's one of the most popular players ever. Sounds like you're the one with the problems, son.

Also lol at "propaganda".

Propaganda definition:
"Information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular cause or point of view."

Seems pretty accurate given his career.

- Having King Tatd on his back
- The Witness campaign
- The Decision
- The "Coming Home" Campaign
- The Finals MVP n a losing effort campaign
- The taking down of vids that embarrass him all throughout his career. The Crawford dunk being the biggest one
- The going to LA not to team up with another star, but wanting to be close to home and mentor the young guys campaign
- The fake reading as people have pointed out
- The Thunder were "favorites" in 2012 agenda after the loss
- The denial that he doesn't influence teams/players through his business/agency
- The constant downgrading of players or elevation of players based on whether he wins or loses. Typically typecast as the "We need more help" campaign.

I mean, you can go on and on and on and on. The amount of media mouthpieces this dude has is really quote impressive, and yes, it has all been propaganda, whether from his directly or 3rd parties indirectly, to make you believe in the narrative and agenda of LeBron is the best, a great guy, who is impeccable in every single way, who does no wrong, no faults.

It goes beyond the average best of all time, especially when you compare it to other GOATS of recent times like Kobe/Shaq, Tom Brady Derek Jeter, ect ect.

Don't forget the "He's risen above winning" campaign.

[Sedale Threatt]

I was that hater. Never missed an opportunity to clown on the dude. It wasn't until he became a Laker that I realized that I had taken his greatness for granted all those years. Now I find myself defending his career at various social gatherings, talk about coming full circle...

I think there would be a completely different perception of Lebron if he just toned down the narcissism.

I'm glad I didn't need him joining the Lakers to get there. I've thought he was incredible since pretty much his first game, and he's probably exceeded my expectations at this point. Which is pretty f'ing amazing.

[ScrantonBulls]

You bolded one of the things I said in relation to Jordan.

Lebron is also one of the most popular players ever and he displays the whole list. The publicization of the two is also completely different as others have already detailed in this thread with regard to things like social media and the way sports media is produced.

Please think about it a bit.

And you said people who are able to get overlook his "behavior" are either ignorant, fans or have a high tolerance for it. The majority of people are able to overlook that "abhorrent" behavior because as you said, he's one of the most popular players ever. Sounds like you're the one with the problems, son.

Also lol at "propaganda".

1) His actions are his behaviors as is the case for all people.

2) You put the word abhorrent in quotation marks despite me never having used it and it having a substantially worse connotation than any words I used, essentially putting words in my mouth.

3) The majority of sports followers are either casual (usually comes with a level of ignorance), and are fans of great players (fans).

4) You then call me 'son' for some reason. Frankly embarrassing posting by you.

5) Yes, trying to control and influence the opinions of others by use of a publicly diseminated narrative is also known as propaganda.

Now to indulge in a little looking down of my own. I am not going to respond to you again in this thread because you are only offering up low quality, bad faith, instigative replies and I feel as though I am lowering myself to converse with you.

It's a bit sad how seriously you take this. You must be a riot at parties.

[JellosJigglin]

I was that hater. Never missed an opportunity to clown on the dude. It wasn't until he became a Laker that I realized that I had taken his greatness for granted all those years. Now I find myself defending his career at various social gatherings, talk about coming full circle...

I think there would be a completely different perception of Lebron if he just toned down the narcissism.

Started watching the Lakers in 1984. Lebron James is the first player that ever got me to stop watching the Lakers. Not even those horrendous rebuilds with Tierre Brown and Smush Parker compelled me to quit watching. And since 99% of my NBA consumption was Laker games, I've pretty much stopped watching all NBA content the last few years.

It was weird at first, to not have the Lakers as a regular part of my life, but slowly got used to it. I'll probably start watching again when he retires, but I'm not in any hurry.

[ScrantonBulls]

I was that hater. Never missed an opportunity to clown on the dude. It wasn't until he became a Laker that I realized that I had taken his greatness for granted all those years. Now I find myself defending his career at various social gatherings, talk about coming full circle...

I think there would be a completely different perception of Lebron if he just toned down the narcissism.

Started watching the Lakers in 1984. Lebron James is the first player that ever got me to stop watching the Lakers. Not even those horrendous rebuilds with Tierre Brown and Smush Parker compelled me to quit watching. And since 99% of my NBA consumption was Laker games, I've pretty much stopped watching all NBA content the last few years.

It was weird at first, to not have the Lakers as a regular part of my life, but slowly got used to it. I'll probably start watching again when he retires, but I'm not in any hurry.

You hate LeBron so much that you stopped watching your favorite basketball team? Lmao I'm sorry but that's absolutely hilarious. A bit unhinged too, but I respect the commitment. You walk the walk.

[NbaAllDay]

What's sad is that people can legitimately hate a player.

Not only that, but hate them for some of the most ridiculous reasons, when the truth is they are often insecure about his status versus past generations.

I've known/know people in my life who hate people they have no contact with and those kinds of people are toxic and never enjoyable to hang around.

You don't have to like someone, but if you have legit hate for a player who for example, said some overzealous things about winning multiple Rings 14 Years ago, then you have far more issues than Lebron.

[ScrantonBulls]

What's sad is that people can legitimately hate a player.

Not only that, but hate them for some of the most ridiculous reasons, when the truth is they are often insecure about his status versus past generations.

I've known/know people in my life who hate people they have no contact with and those kinds of people are toxic and never enjoyable to hang around.

You don't have to like someone, but if you have legit hate for a player who for example, said some overzealous things about winning multiple Rings 14 Years ago, then you have far more issues than Lebron.

That's where I stand. It's simply not worth the energy or negative emotions involved in "hating" a player. I can't think of any current players that I actually hate. The only time I could justify that is if the player did something terrible or is an awful person. I get hating somebody like Ray Rice or Karl Malone. But hating somebody that is by all accounts a good person, and somebody that gives back to the community so much? It's just sad and comes across as unhinged. Especially when you dedicate time hating these players on social media/forums.

[sfernald]

As a resident Bron hater, just want to reiterate that it’s not really a generational thing. Jokic is amazing, Giannis had a great ring. It’s specifically and solely LeBron that’s especially lame, not everything post 2003

Specifically with LeBron it’s jealousy cause people don’t want to admit that he is the GOAT. In the end it will be so though,

[SweaterBae]

LBJ quits on plays more than any player in history, flops and whines, throws his teammates under the bus, supports BLM but excoriates people who support Hong Kong to make money, etc, etc, etc. Total shocker people don't like him. He's a wonderful, wonderful basketball player and an absolute piece of crap human.

[FarBeyondDriven]

thing is, he was almost universally loved, kinda like Tiger Woods. Like Tiger we watched him since he was in high school and it was obviously he was a once in a generation talent. But like Tiger, he fumbled his legacy.

Most of us liked him while he was in Cleveland until his body language betrayed him and he sulked off the floor after losing in the playoffs. Then many really started to hate him when his ego ran unchecked and he broadcast "The Decision" which was an utter embarrassment. He lost even more people when he got up there and said "not 1, not 2, not 3..." Through it all in multiple stops he's sulked, pointed fingers, got coaches fired, formed super teams and declared himself the GOAT. There's the clearly rigged 2016 Finals, the meaningless bubble ring and needing Kyrie and Allen to bail him out.

And it's not just on the court either. There's the alleged hate-crime hoax. There's taking credit for starting a school (funded by taxpayers) and those students having horrible results. There's the alleged PEDs and link to the Miami lab and subsequent need for jaw surgery to remove the growth allegedly caused by HGH. There's the hypocritical political stances. Pretend injuries. Pretending to read books. Lying about things he did or didn't say or do in the past.

Tiger fumbled his legacy? He can't even compete anymore and he's by far and it's not even remotely close the most popular and beloved golfer on earth lol

are you serious? Tiger Woods was the most celebrated athlete in the world. By 2008 he had 14 Major championships and was well on his way to passing Jack Nicklaus for best golfer of all time. Then he got on drugs, got caught cheating on his wife, crashed his SUV outside of his home and his world came crashing down ending in him getting a divorce. Since then he's got one Major win. And a few years ago he again crashed his car but this time injured himself so badly that he can barely play a full tournament. How is this NOT a stain on his legacy?

[ScrantonBulls]

LBJ quits on plays more than any player in history, flops and whines, throws his teammates under the bus, supports BLM but excoriates people who support Hong Kong to make money, etc, etc, etc. Total shocker people don't like him. He's a wonderful, wonderful basketball player and an absolute piece of crap human.

Now we know your real reason why you hate him

[SweaterBae]

LBJ quits on plays more than any player in history, flops and whines, throws his teammates under the bus, supports BLM but excoriates people who support Hong Kong to make money, etc, etc, etc. Total shocker people don't like him. He's a wonderful, wonderful basketball player and an absolute piece of crap human.

Now we know your real reason why you hate him

lol what? It's the literal opposite. The point is that he's a whore. BLM matters but Hong Kong lives don't matter to him. Get a **** clue. Why don't you bold the entire sentence, coward.

[tamaraw08]

I was that hater. Never missed an opportunity to clown on the dude. It wasn't until he became a Laker that I realized that I had taken his greatness for granted all those years. Now I find myself defending his career at various social gatherings, talk about coming full circle...

I think there would be a completely different perception of Lebron if he just toned down the narcissism.

Same here, one of my saddest birthdays was watching him win it all for Miami but once he wore that Lakers jersey, a lot changed.
But one thing I absolutely hate are Kobe fanatics masquerading as Lakers fans, wishing the Lakes fail at all cost.

[FarBeyondDriven]

thing is, he was almost universally loved, kinda like Tiger Woods. Like Tiger we watched him since he was in high school and it was obviously he was a once in a generation talent. But like Tiger, he fumbled his legacy.

Most of us liked him while he was in Cleveland until his body language betrayed him and he sulked off the floor after losing in the playoffs. Then many really started to hate him when his ego ran unchecked and he broadcast "The Decision" which was an utter embarrassment. He lost even more people when he got up there and said "not 1, not 2, not 3..." Through it all in multiple stops he's sulked, pointed fingers, got coaches fired, formed super teams and declared himself the GOAT. There's the clearly rigged 2016 Finals, the meaningless bubble ring and needing Kyrie and Allen to bail him out.

And it's not just on the court either. There's the alleged hate-crime hoax. There's taking credit for starting a school (funded by taxpayers) and those students having horrible results. There's the alleged PEDs and link to the Miami lab and subsequent need for jaw surgery to remove the growth allegedly caused by HGH. There's the hypocritical political stances. Pretend injuries. Pretending to read books. Lying about things he did or didn't say or do in the past.

This is what Ant was talking about. Putting someone under a microscope and hating him for things that are just speculative. "Rigged 2016 Finals" and "Alleged PEDs." People are just finding reasons to hate him.

please...HE put himself under a microscope with his behavior and desperation for attention and adulation.

"Rigged 2016 Finals" I know right? So preposterous. It's not like they suspended a DPOY level player and officiating was horrible...oh wait. Even Steph's wife famously tweeted about it but yeah, I must just be a "hater"

"Alleged PEDS" Are you seriously claiming he wasn't on PEDs? He literally had to get surgery to remove a growth on his brow that is common from HGH abuse. He's literally linked to the Miami steroid clinic. He was like 260 lbs all muscle in MIA. When they started testing he conveniently lost a bunch of muscle. He brags about spending $1 million on his body a year. What do you think that entails? Massage therapists?

these and the myriad of other things combine to make it very easy to dislike Lebron for a lot of people.

[Parasite]

Gee. Not sure why. I’m sure it has nothing to do with him being a whiny, unlikeable, China-worshiping, race-baiting, false hate-crime creating diva with one of the more punchable faces in professional sports. So yeah, not sure.