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

[TheNG]

I wonder why people need to categorize other people as "haters". Sounds like a negative attitude to do that.

I just really:
1. Don't aporeciate him as a person.
2. Think he is overrated as a player. I probably appreciate him less as a player than all other players who are usually considered top 10 all time.
3. Do not have any positive emotion toward him (mainly because of 1)

Is it possible to be all the above without being categorized as a "hater"?
I believe there are many other fans like me.

[52-12-7]

What's funny is all his stans calling out his haters and defending him like he is their family or something. I don't get it. Why does it bother you so much that people don't like him? Lebron doesn't know you or give a crap about you. Lebron's legacy will not be impacted whether you defend him or not. It so sad to see some of the posters live here all day long just to defend the guy.

And one more thing, what's wrong with hating? All of us are a fan, and fandom consists of love and hate. We all hate, whether it's a team or player. Lakers fan hates Celtics and vice versa. I'm a Portland Trail Blazers fan, and thus I hate the Lakers and most of their players. Is that wrong?

Btw, I hate Lebron for many reason, but it's mostly related to his narcissistic diva character. I admire his play on the court, but I wish he would retire already. Just so sick of the media constantly pushing his narratives on us. It's time to move on already.

[antonac]

honestly, there's nothing more pathetic than whinging about the fact people don't share the same opinions as you.

Arguing where LeBron fits into the pantheon of greats is one thing, being upset that not everyone really likes him is another.

[picc]

A player who was basically born the year Lebron entered the league, claiming to have any idea why people don't like him. The absolute gall. Reminds me of the college freshmen who know how to solve Israel vs Palestine.

In all cases the correct reply is stfu and eat your Captain Crunch.

God bless Ant and his lovable smile. But 22 year-old wisdom is worth as much as the dog **** I passed on the street today.

[Hoop Hunter]

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.

Maybe it just shows how you see things through Laker colored glasses. Not really grasping what everyone else sees.

[JDR720]

LeBron isn't the most likable player by a mile. It's not like people don't have legit reasons to dislike him.

It's obvious to even most of his fans that LeBron is narcissistic (self-proclaiming himself the Chosen One/ King James etc.).

He is very manipulative of the media narrative. Constantly doing or saying things he knows people will talk about, using coded language and such things. This isn't even getting into his mouthpieces like Windhorst.

The Miami stuff about having a whole TV special to announce he's going there to win "Not 1, Not 2, Not 3..."

So overall, he just comes off as scripted and fake to a lot of people. He loves the attention and being in the news 24/7. Whether it's positive or negative, he wants people to talk about him. He's one of the most overtly political (not talking about literal politics) athletes ever.

Compare him to other players, like Steph for example, and pretty much nobody has anything bad to say about him even though he is also an all-time great player of this generation.

[zimpy27]

I wonder why people need to categorize other people as "haters". Sounds like a negative attitude to do that.

I just really:
1. Don't aporeciate him as a person.
2. Think he is overrated as a player. I probably appreciate him less as a player than all other players who are usually considered top 10 all time.
3. Do not have any positive emotion toward him (mainly because of 1)

Is it possible to be all the above without being categorized as a "hater"?
I believe there are many other fans like me.

Well disliker then? Unappreciator?

What's the opposite of fan?

[TheNG]

I wonder why people need to categorize other people as "haters". Sounds like a negative attitude to do that.

I just really:
1. Don't aporeciate him as a person.
2. Think he is overrated as a player. I probably appreciate him less as a player than all other players who are usually considered top 10 all time.
3. Do not have any positive emotion toward him (mainly because of 1)

Is it possible to be all the above without being categorized as a "hater"?
I believe there are many other fans like me.

Well disliker then? Unappreciator?

What's the opposite of fan?

I like "unappreciator" the most.
I really try not to hate any human being (yes, even the really bad ones).

[jc23]

lebron has gotten alot of hate and alot of praise; in both cases most it has been earned.

[msmoore66]

Not read the middle pages. But seen some comments in the last couple which I agree with re 'haters'. I don't think it's being a hater to not buy into all the fervor and hype. I really enjoy watching LeBron play and think he is great, just not really into all the stuff around him (and most of that isn't driven by him). You don't have to worship him to not be a 'hater'.

But to the point of the thread- Ant's comment. It is pretty crazy that so many people want to see him fail. Like you get it in sports a lot with rivals, but just another player, it is odd to invest so much into it.

[Calvin Klein]

I have a very good friend who is a Lebron Stan. I always tell him I think Lebron is the second greatest ever. But I don’t care for his narcissistic ways and the way he keeps changing teams.

He says I’m a hater.

I think these people are in some kind of Lebron cult. For them he can do absolutely no wrong.

[Hair Jordan]

I can’t stand Lebron for a number of reasons:

1. Hopping from team to team to ring chase vs winning rings organically like Jordan, Dirk, Curry, Giannis etc.

2. Cough-mocking a great player like Dirk in the 2011 Finals and then losing to him.

3. Pulling a Houdini and completely vanishing in the 2011 Finals.

4. Winning two rings in Miami after proclaiming “not 5, not 6” etc.

5. Overacting so bad on flops he’s entitled to Academy Award nominations for best actor.

6. Being a fake social justice / cultural warrior when he’s actually tied to Nike/China

7. Everything about him is contrived (i.e. pretending to read books he doesn’t actually read in order to create a fake persona).

8. Using media plants, talking heads and Klutch sports to push a GOAT narrative vs letting his game do the talking.

9. 4-6 in Finals.

10. Throwing teammates under the bus, getting coaches fired, playing GM and then making endless excusess whenever he loses.

11. Showing up to a post game press conference in a cast after getting destroyed in the Finals to try and control the narrative.

12. Demanding his “damn respect” while literally crowning himself and calling himself the GOAT.

13. Saying he went to the “Lebron James of foot doctors” because he wants his name to be synonymous with excellence like Michael Jordan’s name is.

14. Talking up his son and then telling the media to lay off of his son after he stinks it up at USC.

15. Going 1-7 vs the Warriors in consecutive Finals and then going 1-7 in consecutive playoffs against Denver with a top 75 all time guy in his prime as his teammate.

16. Making an aggressive move towards a female fan the other day causing her to flinch. I mean, seriously….who does that? Especially a player of his stature

17. Demonstrably whining and crying anytime a call doesn’t go his way. The histrionics of which are childish and unbecoming a top 10 all time player.

18. Constantly bitching about not winning DPOTY instead of congratulating the winner and showing a little humility and class.

19. Celebrating the IST victory with champagne like it’s the NBA Finals. No way Magic, Bird, Jordan or Kobe are taking champagne baths after winning that joke of a tournament

20. Teaming up with JJ Redick to push an anti Jordan, anti 80’s/90’s, pro Lebron GOAT narrative while making excuses for losing the 2011 Finals because his bench wasn’t strong enough even though he had prime Wade and Bosh as his teammates.

21. Insecure narcissist with no self awareness whatsoever. Self anointed GOAT. Did Gretzky, Jordan, Magic, Bird, Nicklaus, Tiger etc ever proclaim themselves the GOAT? No. They let their games do the talking and they let others speak for them.

The list goes on and on and on…..

[Ben-N1ce]

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?

he's still the most popular and loved golfer on the earth by a very large margin. Nobody cares. Scottie is destroying everyone right now on tour and no one gives a crap...every current pro practically idolizes Tiger and his tarnished legacy lol

[prophet_of_rage]

Also, I find it very silly the narrative Barkley, Shaq, Skip, Smith and others have spammed that he went the easy way, unlike older players. As if those guys gave up better opportunities to compete for a ring choosing to be loyal to a franchise lol. I assume those opportunities simply didnt show up at that time, as players werent as powerful as today. I simply worked differently.

That Heat team that Shaq was on; he wasn't the main guy for it lol. Not laughing at you but that's absurd coming from Shaq

Barkley joined the rockets to try to win one

And forced a trade to Phoenix. Shaq left for LA in free agency.

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[druggas]

Well it's pretty easy, Ant: he whines, throws his teammates and coaches under the bus, begging/forcing teams to draft his son who is clearly not an nba prospect, the Dirk cough, hopping team to team and claiming he never joined a superteam, self proclaiming he's the GOAT and a king, his playstyle is pretty boring, probably taking PEDs, the whole book thing(constantly has a book open but gets defensive when asked a question about said book, just comes off as fake), taking his talents to South Beach, "Not 1, not 2...". That's just off the top of my head. Oh also never got in trouble for taking that car in high school for his mom supposedly

That sums it up perfectly.

[KembaWalker]

It is the highlight of my forum posting day when I can be like “yeah I don’t like the guy cause teaming up with another mvp and all nba player in their primes was really lame, and then they underachieved anyway lol”

And literally people will start coming at you with stuff like “wow bro you have such a sad life, I feel bad for you”

Like I get it because that’s actually the same way LeBron himself has handled criticism in the past but it’s especially hilarious coming from some message board user that can’t even keep a conversation on the rails without seething that hard

[prophet_of_rage]

The issue is the Lebron's career is littered with behavior that people inherently don't like, and it takes either ignorance, fandom or a high level of tolerance to overlook it all.

People don't like self aggrandizers or attention seekers. They don't like narcissists. They don't like when other's act sanctimoniously. They don't like hypocrisy. They don't like people who scapegoat blame and vacuum up credit. They don't like when people take the easy road. They don't like being manipulated by "narratives" (formerly known as propaganda).

And they especially don't like it when these things come from someone who is so advantaged in life.

The guy has been in the public sphere for over 20 years. These flaws were always going to leak out when he is so active in publicizing himself.

Also calling it 'hate' is overboard for 95% of the 'haters'. It is more like a lingering annoyance/mild dislike and people tend to complain about things that annoy them or that they mildly dislike.

Congratulations to the man for his success, family, wealth, etc.

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

Propaganda.

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[mccluskey]

I would say the overwhelming majority of people understand and appreciate his greatness. Just because many are also put off by his behavior and personality doesn’t necessarily make them haters.

He’s an incredible player while also being incredibly narcissistic and hypocritical.

great post.

LBJ is an absolutely great basketball player and should be in anyone's top five all-time at least, even if they hate his guts.

but that doesn't change the fact he's a pouty, melodramatic, self-important total cornball which makes him extremely hard to like as a person.

[TheCage4]

Careful there Mr. Edwards. You can easily become our next target once LBJ retires

[ckman]

Ant also said KD is the best player ever