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LeBron James GQ interview BlackAdder Send a noteboard - 18/08/2010 04:35:23 PM
A few things I found interesting... here is an ESPN piece:

Cleveland still on LeBron James' mind

LeBron James won't rule out returning to play for Cleveland someday, but admitted in an interview with GQ magazine that owner Dan Gilbert's letter to fans on the night James left the Cavaliers gives him "a lot of motivation" for when he and his new Miami Heat teammates play his former club.

In an interview to be published in the September issue of GQ, James told writer J.R. Moehringer that "if there was an opportunity for me to return [to Cleveland] ... and those fans welcome me back, that'd be a great story."

But James, who announced on July 8 that he would leave the Cavaliers as a free agent to sign with the Heat, said of Gilbert's late-night letter: "I don't think he ever cared about LeBron. My mother always told me: 'You will see the light of people when they hit adversity. You'll get a good sense of their character.' Me and my family have seen the character of that man."

James added: "It made me feel more comfortable that I made the right decision."

Gilbert did not immediately respond to The Associated Press' request for comment Tuesday.

Moehringer interviewed James three times in a 19-day span -- twice before and once after his announcement.

The story looks at the weeks leading up to and just after his July 8 announcement on ESPN -- on a show titled "The Decision," which was widely panned. James said he wouldn't change anything about how he made his decision, or how he told the world about it.

James told GQ: "I understand that a lot of people would be hurt" in Cleveland by his decision, but also said that growing up, he and his friends from Akron didn't always like Cleveland. Akron is about 40 miles south of Cleveland.

"It's not far, but it is far," James told GQ. "And Clevelanders, because they were the bigger-city kids when we were growing up, looked down on us. ... So we didn't actually like Cleveland. We hated Cleveland growing up. There's a lot of people in Cleveland we still hate to this day."

James said he'll remain anchored in Akron. "I'm going to spend a lot of the summer here," he said. "This is my home. Akron, Ohio, is my home. I will always be here. I'm still working out at my old high school."

And he said Cleveland fans were "awesome," but didn't take back his comment late last season that those around him were "spoiled" by his play.

"I love our fans. Cleveland fans are awesome," he told GQ. "But I mean, even my family gets spoiled at times watching me doing things that I do, on and off the court."

The night of James' announcement, Gilbert said he believed James quit on Cleveland during the 2009 and 2010 playoffs. Gilbert was ultimately fined $100,000 by the NBA for what commissioner David Stern said were comments that fell into the category of being "a little extreme."

In the GQ article, James took exception to the "quitter" tag.

"Every night on the court I give my all, and if I'm not giving 100 percent, I criticize myself," James said.

As big a douche as ever it seems, and his ego is still out of control.

Anyway, I find the comment about people in Cleveland looking down on people in Akron to be... well, surprising. Why would they pick on a small city like Akron? I've never heard anything about an Akron-Cleveland grudge. Sure, Detroit and Pittsburgh, but Akron? :confused2:

Can Rafonauts from the Northeast Ohio area comment on this? Is he right about the grudge?

And would you guys ever accept LeBron back in a Cavaliers uniform? In general, is it possible to accept someone back after that whole ordeal?
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LeBron James GQ interview - 18/08/2010 04:35:23 PM 572 Views
If people can forgive Kobe, Big Ben, ARod, Tiger... *NM* - 18/08/2010 04:41:00 PM 165 Views
I'm considered people, and the hell if I forgive AFraud. Can't be done. *NM* - 19/08/2010 03:05:47 PM 144 Views
Let's be serious, Gilbert was way, way more of an ass there than LeBron. - 18/08/2010 04:54:59 PM 406 Views
Disagree. - 18/08/2010 07:09:53 PM 374 Views
How are you ever going to prove that LeBron didn't do his best? - 18/08/2010 07:34:10 PM 520 Views
I think LeBron is/was the bigger ass. - 19/08/2010 03:13:29 PM 622 Views
Gilbert was an ass to one guy... Lebron to an entire fanbase. - 19/08/2010 08:50:26 PM 364 Views
It really doesn't compare. - 19/08/2010 11:46:57 PM 366 Views
If the Heat doesn't win the Championship next season.. - 19/08/2010 12:49:26 AM 373 Views
Actually chances are that they won't. - 19/08/2010 01:22:09 AM 483 Views
Garnett, Pierce and Allen did it in their first season together. Why can't they? - 19/08/2010 04:13:55 AM 426 Views
Because they had a team around them. - 19/08/2010 08:57:57 PM 347 Views
Re: Because they had a team around them. - 19/08/2010 09:01:56 PM 366 Views
I will be shocked if they win. - 19/08/2010 03:19:23 PM 342 Views
Agreed, it takes a team. - 19/08/2010 08:52:22 PM 421 Views
He's an immature, little boy in a grown up body and it just shows every time he speaks. *NM* - 19/08/2010 02:31:13 AM 268 Views
*shrug* so are a lot of sportsmen and women - 19/08/2010 04:25:13 AM 440 Views

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