Evanson: Lebron is at it again, and I’m not buyin’ what he’s tryin’ to sell

Published 2:00 pm Tuesday, March 4, 2025

LeBron James thinks we’re all stupid.

Yep, he and his minions have for years operated as if their playing chess and everyone else is playing checkers.

By way of social media, often through his media puppeteers like Fox’s Nick Wright, and occasionally via the spoken word like he did this past week, James whines and snivels to anyone who will listen about the league, his place in it, and at times low-hanging political fruit with one goal in mind — a pat on the back.

He acts like he doesn’t care what you or I think, how he’s perceived, or his career and his accomplishments, but in reality, few in the world of sports have cared more about all of the above, and he again proved such last week.

During a postgame interview, James was asked about Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards comments regarding his disinterest in being “the face of the NBA.” In response, the former Cavalier, Heat and now Laker great responded with the following:

“Why do you wanna be the face of the league when all the people that cover our game on a day-to-day basis s*** on everybody?”

He later tried to contextualize his comments with a bunch of fluff about the “culture of basketball” and how it’s “the most beautiful game in the world,” then assured us all that his argument had the league and its young players in mind, and in no way was about himself and how he wants to be perceived now and going forward.

“This ain’t about me either. At this point I don’t really care what’s said about me. It’s always something. This is about the impact the negativity is having on our beautiful game and our fans. I know I speak for a lot of players and more importantly, a helluva lot of great fans that truly love and celebrate this sport around the world.”

Sorry, but I’m not buying what he’s trying to sell.

This is about him. It’s always about him.

It was about him when he dubbed himself “King James” when he was in high school.

It was about him when he and his friends/business managers conjured up a television production called, “The Decision,” to announce where he was “taking his talents” when he signed with Miami.

It was about him when he posted a letter in Sports Illustrated to soften his landing in Cleveland when he returned to the Cavs.

It was about him when he inked a tattoo on his upper back that reads, “Chosen-1.”

It was about him when he signed with the Lakers.

And it was about him when he convinced those same Lakers to draft and sign his son to an NBA contract despite a lack of the resume to do so, when in reality the best thing for his son going forward both on and off the court would likely have been to return to school, work on his game, and — dare I say — further his education.

LeBron believes he’s the best to ever play the game — saying as much in both 2018 and 2023 — and he wants everyone else to think similarly, and a knock on the league and its standing now, is a knock on him and to an extent what he’s made it over his 22-year career.

The NBA is in a tough spot right now. Ratings are down, the All-Star Game and to an extent the regular season has become a joke, and whether they like it or not, the perception of many of the players in it is that they’re more interested in them and theirs than the team they play for, the league they represent, and the fans who make it all happen.

That didn’t occur overnight, but was cultivated by way of the heaps of money these players now make, the leverage that money gives them, and the power James directly and indirectly wrestled-away from NBA Commissioner Adam Silver who’s chosen the path of least resistance since taking the league’s reins over a decade ago.

That’s not the face of the league’s fault, it’s yours, LeBron — but I guess those two things are the same.

Even I’m smart enough to figure that out.