Here are some absolute truths about the NBA: The ball never lies, you need to trust the process, and banana boat friends are friends forever. Dwyane Wade followed through with the third by backing up his former teammate and sea captain on Tuesday. This became necessary after some took exception with LeBron James’s recent comments about Charles Barkley. LeBron went at Barkley after he had recently been critical of him and even questioned his competitiveness. ESPN’s Nick Friedell got this quote from Dwyane Wade regarding LeBron’s statement:
Thank God [James] finally said something. LeBron, a lot of guys take a lot of shots at him, for whatever reason. He’s always been [a focal point like], all of the great players in the game. He just has kept his mouth closed, continued to focus on what he need to. But it’s about time he said something. Guys ride him, especially ex-players. When you got a history, when you can go and google your history, you need to be a little careful with what you say.
LeBron seemed to have reached his breaking point Tuesday when sounding off on Barkley. The main complaint people seem to have with LeBron’s comments is that he got too personal. Unfortunately, LeBron James has succumbed to personal AND professional attacks since he was in high school. Like Dwyane said, he has never actually fought back until now. Those attacks from a former NBA player, who also has an enormous platform, seemed to be the last stand. Wade touched on that.
Sometimes when guys get on a microphone in front of their face they just talk and talk and talk and forget about their history. We all make that mistake, but especially that guy on TV. He acts like he just walked on water. I like the fact that Bron called him out and told him about it hisself a little bit. Humble yourself. LeBron is who he is. We all have flaws, but when your flaws are a little bit more then you should shut up. So I’m glad LJ finally said something and stood up for himself from that standpoint He said there’s a new sheriff in town so I’m excited to see what’s next.”
LeBron James has been a model citizen despite the constant criticism and probable temptation that he has experienced his entire life. Most do believe he was justified in saying what he did, but it is still nice to see Dwyane Wade back his old pal.
