Lebron James

what saddens me is that this shows to me a lack of respect for his teamates. He basically said to his teamates that 2 basketball jerseys were more important to him than helping out his teamtes/school. I would presume that his teamates would be his friends - talk about slapping them in the face and letting them down.

Well you guys all brought up a lot of good points, and some that I would have never even imagined, all in all I still do think that a whole season of ineligibility is a too strict penality for the kid. I think that with this on the line (his future) he is possibly scared straight. I also think that with future kids in his position, he can set a precident.

what i want to know is how the hell do two jerseys (granted they were vintage throwbacks) cost $860? are you kidding me...

Is anyone else just plain sick of hearing about this kid? For crying out loud ESPN reported how James was angry when the Cavs fired their coach how he'd "never play for them now." Seriously who gives a shit? Everyone wants to give this kid the world before he's proven anything. I'm not questioning his talent, but I think it's important to keep in mind that he is just a 17 year old kid and all the being on covers of magazines and pay per view games are just way too over the top.

Didn't have the time to read all the responses, so sorry if I say something that has already been said, but here are my views on this:

1) I don't see any LEGAL problem with his mother getting a loan for that Hummer. He's only a few months away from being a multi-millionaire, and a car dealership can give a loan based on that - no problem. OHSAA felt the same way.

2) I do see a problem with James accepting free jerseys. There is a rule about that, and he violated it. He should have known better, and if he didn't know better, then his school and coach are to blame for that.

3) While this might be splitting hairs, the story was that he received the jerseys in exchange for an autographed picture. Now that isn't getting them from free. Cannot a merchant decide to barter?

4) LeBron James' mother shows bad parenting in my opinion. First of all, she was last year saying "LeBron might be the first JUNIOR to enter the NBA. She meant High School Junior of course. Secondly, she got him that Hummer. Bad move. It's all about attitude. Don't count your chickens before they've hatched. If for some reason my teenaged children are talented enough in some way to have millions guaranteed to them the minute they graduate from high school, they will drive their beater car or take the bus or walk or ride a bike or RUN until that money is in the bank. THAT is the example to set - not this "have it NOW" attitude that LeBron James' mother is allowing. And, it is all HER fault. He's just a kid. Bad parenting.

5) As far as the Ohio High School Athletic Association and everyone else making money off LeBron James, I say SO WHAT! They are increasing his marketability by arranging for him to play in large venues and on TV. He should be kissing their feet, not the other way around. No one should be complaining about the treatment he has been given. Anyhigh school athlete knows that they are not allowed to receive money for playing high school sports. I don't care if people make billions or even trillions off of him. He is not entitiled to any of it and has no room to complain or whine.

6) It is sad that so much attention has been put on this kid. He has made bad decisions already and he isn't even in the league yet. I'm pretty sure we will be hearing more from LeBron James - not all of it good.

Fuck the rules. Pay the bastard. You people with all of your opinions, shut the f*** up. All that matters is how much $$ you have, how fast you run, how many children you can father & how much fun you had during your life. Fuck the rules.

Fuck the rules. Pay the bastard. You people with all of your opinions, shut the f*** up. All that matters is how much $$ you have, how fast you run, how many children you can father & how much fun you had during your life. Fuck the rules.

The rules are in place to create parity so that private schools don't pay 22-year old NBA wash-outs to play for their teams. If LeBron James wants to retain his amateur status, then he must obey the rules. If he wants money and vintage sports jerseys, then he should pursue that. Unfortunately for him, the OHSSA makes the two mutually exclusive, even for a talent such as LeBron. Webb decided that he'd rather give up his amateur status and take the money and freedom to train on his own. I don't criticize him for that, nor do I criticize LeBron for his choice. However, once the choice is made, neither can go back and become an amateur.

Adidas sponsor's LeBron's HS team, and he must return any equipment valued over $100 at the end of the season. I don't know the specific handouts at Footlocker, but I'd imaging that every athlete competing get the same loot. Footlocker wouldn't jeopardize the eligibility of the top runners.

I do think the OHSSA singled James out, but when he had just been investigated for the Hummer, how could he think accepting the jerseys was okay?

The best think that could possibly happen is that ESPN.com's Bill Simmons convinces ESPN to do a reality show on LeBron. It would be like MTV's Cribs 24-7.

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