Execute order 66! Or something like that. This one is straight from the "couldn't make it up" files: According to Gary Parrish of CBS Sports, Nike is supposedly blocking any and all taped footage of Xavier's Jordan Crawford posterizing LeBron James, which happened at the LeBron James Skills Academy earlier this week.
Turns out, there were at least two cameras rolling Monday night when Crawford dunked on James during a pick-up game here at the LeBron James Skills Academy. It was a two-handed jam, the kind that would've circulated quickly on YouTube. But Nike officials eliminated that possibility shortly after the dunk happened by allegedly confiscating tapes from various cameramen.Wait, what? Mr. Check My $tats, Mr. Look-At-Me-I'm-The-MVP doesn't want video circulating on YouTube of him being jammed on by some college kid?! I can't tell you how NOT shocked I am. Let's just say that sound you just heard certainly wasn't my jaw hitting the floor. Between this situation, the egomania t-shirts and that whole "I'm a winner and winners don't have to shake hands" thing, LeBron sure is coming off as kind of a douche lately.
Freelance photographer Ryan Miller was one of the cameramen shooting the game.
He told CBSSports.com that Nike Basketball Senior Director Lynn Merritt took his tape.
"He just said, 'We have to take your tape,'" Miller said. "They took it from other guys, too."
Worth noting is that there is no policy against filming at the LeBron James Skills Academy, and Miller said he had been filming all day without incident. Nobody ever told him to stop. Nobody ever said there was a problem...until after Crawford dunked on James.
"LeBron called Lynn over and told him something," Miller said. "That's how I knew his name was Lynn. LeBron said, 'Hey, Lynn. Come here.'"
Minutes later, Miller said Merritt demanded his tape.
"There's nothing I can think of besides LeBron just not wanting it online," Miller said. "It's a good story to tell people, I guess. But then again, I'm kind of pissed. I lost my tape."
[Hat Tip: Brandon Hoffman of BallerBlogger.]
Labels: gratuitous Star Wars references, Lebron James, Nike
68 Comments:
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Looks like that handshake nonsense & the crab dribble delusion does fit a certain pattern.
Pay attention all you kids out there on the internets who play basketball for fun or profit, pay close attention.
If you haven't been dunked on ever then all that means is that...
a) You've been playing against nonathletic bums your entire life.
b) You been playing near-zero defense (especially help side defense) your entire life so you're an embarrassment and a defensive liability anyway, dunk or no dunk.
Dunk = 2 points.
Layup = 2 points.
Luck of the Irish toss-up that happens to go in = 2 points.
Being a sensitive girl about being dunked on. = 0 points.
Do the math.
Or maybe LeBron is overreacting just a liiiitle bit
(got this on TrueHoop comments)
Wah wah wah.
I remember after they went fo-fo, everyone thought they were going fo-fo-fo...but oh no...they went fo-fo-f*** we're out of the playoffs.
This is like when Jordan got beat at that basketball camp he ran and then stopped playing the campers the next year.
But he didn't confiscate the guy's tapes when he (the guy) beat him. That dude made copies and gave them to everyone he knew.
It was on Truehoop a while back.
BTW, I love the Stormtrooper pic. Here's another similar one for you.
1) Getting dunked on by some kid at a camp and having it seen on you tube by maybe a couple thousand people.
2) Getting dunked on by some kid then demand the largest shoe company in the world confiscate all copies of said dunk, basically ensuring that every one on the planet will now KNOW you got dunked on by some kid at a camp and not just youtube basketball junkies and that your an over sensitive vag.
Smooth move King Crab/Nike.
We should team up to be the Odd Couple Writing Team.
That's because...
a) James is establishing a track record of being a whiny bitch.
b) It's perfectly reasonable to believe one basketball player got dunked on by another.
c) What would the incentive be for a freelance cameraman to make such a story up? (and have others players who were there tell the exact same story)
"I could see it happening, but we are just going off what one camera man says? What am I missing?"
A personal filter on rationality of your initial question.
he'd be feeding his carefree persona (you know the joker that was laughing with his teammates)
but now he's just increasingly being a stuck up little brat
Yahoo talked to Crawford and the cameramen. Unless they are all total liars (they may be, I don't know), this probably did happen.
And Trev has a point. The Youtube clip will be forgotten in a week. The "Lebron is a coward for not letting us see a kid dunk on him" talk will last ALL season.
WV: whien LeBron sure likes to whien a lot lately.
Karc- what commercial was that? Link? Man I was bummed that Roddick lost. I had my "in your FACE" speech all planned out for AnacondaHL, who referred to Andy as "tennisbawful" the other week. Damnitall!! Foiled again! And I was THIS CLOSE to being right about something for a change! Andy Roddick with another Wimbledon-boner. >_<
it was reported that lebron called over the nike rep and talked to him shortly before the tapes were confiscated
Jacob - See Axe Head's comment above with a photo of the dunk if you're really that doubtful.
Karc - You blame Nike more than LeBron? You must have skimmed over the part where LeBron immediately grabbed a Nike representative and told him to get that tape. Too bad you don't give Kobe the benefit of the doubt on negative items in the press the way you do with LeBron, but I guess that wouldn't mesh with your agenda.
1. I'm not doubting that he got dunked on. That's not what I'm questioning.
2. You don't REALLY think that picture that Axehead posted was real? Please look at it again. They are in their respective uniforms. That would be a bizarre camp. That picture is clearly photoshopped.
3. I'm not doubting that the videotapes were confiscated. What I'm skeptical of is whether or not LeBron asked Nike to take the tapes.
4. The cameraman doesn't have to be lying. He could be mistaken on whether or not the directive was from Lebron.
xoxo,
Jacob
That's clearly a fake.
"Too bad you don't give Kobe the benefit of the doubt on negative items in the press the way you do with LeBron"
Kobe is arrogant and wants to be like Mike.
James saves hurricane victims, works with retards (similar to Pat Healy), stages the most fan-tab-ulous sideline antics ever and walks old women across the street.
Big difference!
But but, Lebron is "The Chosen One"! He can do no wrong! Surely this isn't true and no one was a "witness" to this supposed slanderous incident!
Didn't you know that when it rains the bottoms of Lebron's shoes don't get wet?
It's weird because until recently, LeBron gave off the impression that he was a good-hearted, fun-loving basketball player (I guess that would be the anti Kobe). The hosting the MTV[?] awards show, the game of HORSE he lost, etc... So my question is whether a young Kobe was originally more like LeBron, and/or is LeBron turning into Jordan/Kobe? Or is this really just a sad natural occurrence of a filthy talented- and rich- superstar? I don't want to be that cynical about money and fame. Tell me I'm wrong, somebody. Perhaps in 30 years time, we will all be watching an internationally televised funeral for another self-proclaimed King. As long as Stevie is still around, I'll look forward to it.
Come on readers of Basketbawful, get your sense of humor in order!
BTW, you're an asshole and I hate you.
Come on! I was being SARCASTIC!! CAN'T YOU SEE THAT??
:D (/sarcasm)
What?
WV: unfunt, as in "Nike stealing the LBJ-dunk Gate tape is very unfunt"
Shawn "I'm not happy in Phoenix" Marion may be traded to the lair of an Internet billionaire!
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4314637
It will be declassified in a 100 years.
Some grainy cell phone vid is gonna show up on youtube and will be slowed down and analyzed to death on Sportcenter.
@Wild Yams - I blame Nike more than LeBron. That does not mean James gets a pass, because his behavior in the last couple of months clearly has him acting like a total coward and a total diva. I can't take anybody seriously who wears a shirt calling himself the MVP when his TEAM got destroyed in the Eastern Conference Finals. It took six years, but his "fame" is finally starting to get to his head.
Nike could have solved this in five seconds. If Crawford was wearing Nike shoes when he dunked on LeBron (even if he wasn't, just photoshop them in), leak the video as an ad. Use the publicity to make millions. Instead, they bowed down to the King. I mean, the ad I have on top clearly shows that they own the best players in the world, and they know how to manage them. Just because James calls fetch doesn't mean they should come running. They are better than that. Or, at least I thought they were.
Oh my GOD. Am I the only person here that knew Yams was being SARCASTIC when presenting the photographic evidence!
Come on readers of Basketbawful, get your sense of humor in order!"
Was he really? I thought it was their(Nike) offical banner, didn't pay that much attention.
http://www.dallasbasketball.com/fullColumn.php?id=1810
-bj
I will choose to withhold until Lebron or Nike actually comments on the situation.
Really. Next someone is going to tell me that BadDave doesn't really play for the Spurs and have his arm around Eva Longoria in his profile pic. And I don't want to hear that. LA LA LA I CAN'T HEAR YOU!!!
James's comments aren't credible in the least.
He was claiming his "crab dribble" was not a travel days after he supposedly looked at the replay.
And winners don't shakes hands.
Odds are he asked the Nike reps to get those tapes just as reported.
especially since he said I want to be a global icon, the first billionare athlete, etc etc
and championships is the last on the list.
His body language and eyes give off arrogance, but at least his mistrust in others have provided him with a tight nit group of his close friends so he'll probably not fall into those scams.
He wants others to shake his hands when they lose but dear gawd he shouldn't have to. Media always protects him makes excuses for him. it's like an NBA mandate that you can put out a bashing article as long as someone else writes an excuse for them.
(Same with the refs I'm sick of hearing how good they are by the announcers and colour commentators YEESH) *End Rant*
Well, it was at the Lebron James Skills Camp so there is a 99% chance that they were all wearing LBJ shoes, at the very least Nike. And honestly, not to be all over Lebron and/or Nike's collective jocks, I honestly wouldn't be surprised if they did keep the footage for the purpose of flipping it around and making it some kind of awesome ad campaign. If they don't do this, then yeah Lebron and Nike are all just a big group of bitch asses.
Off topic, but have you heard Ron Artest's tribute to Michael Jackson!? This should be on everyone's mp3 player.
Good god. Is this Freedarko? Let's keep the criticisms legitimate. I don't like that 'global icon' crap either, but his 'eyes and body language?'
the guy is a douche...ALWAYS
"If you don't believe he got dunked on, look at that UNDENIABLE proof that Axe Head posted."
"You don't believe that it happened? Why don't you take a gander at that crystal clear picture that Axe Head posted. How can you deny that."
And yes, I realize that I'm a complete douche bag for giving examples and calling Wild Yams out for not looking at the picture close enough.
but, Moses Ehambe has a 5-trillion going spread over 2 games for OKC. what is the record for longest consecutive trillion?
To top it off, when it happens maybe the dunker could take an imaginary picture of James using the "invisible camera" hand gesture.
(advanced apologies for being an insensitive-clod if every reader of a blog entitled BasketBawful is suffering from dementia or autism.)
Crikey! It would seem we have a possible infinite loop of sarcasm!
I wasn't sure if he [Wild Yams] was serious or not (and based solely on his typical rational comments I'm leaning toward not) but Axe Head's original comment didn't have a bit of sarcasm, implied or otherwise.
That picture is so clearly fake that I suppose an argument could be made that presenting it in any fashion is sarcasm.
But who knows? There are people in the world that think Candance Parker can match up successfully with a god-damned former blue-chip college recruit/NBA power forward!
I love bringing up old shit!
I think most people have shirts or hats or stickers or whatnot from similar events they've participated in, and that's pretty common and I don't think is an example of douchebaggery. However, to use your example, let's say you went to a wrestling tournament and won it and then went out and had your own shirt made that said "Sean: 2009 Lafayette Wrestling Tournament Champion" or something similar and you wore that around. That's a better example of what LeBron is doing with his "LBJ MVP" shirt, and that's why he's a douche for wearing it. A closer comparison to what you're describing would be like if he was seen out wearing a Cavs shirt, which wouldn't be odd at all. It's just either sad or pathetic that someone who is already so rich and famous as LeBron is still feels he's not getting enough attention and decides he needs to make and wear a shirt trumpeting an individual award he won (even though his team got embarrassed in the playoffs).
Apparently, Nike is saying the reason the tapes were confiscated to begin with is that the cameramen weren't supposed to be there to begin with. Ah, the delicious smell of warm bullshit!
A wonderful reenactment of what transpired that fateful day.