LeBron James is back in the news and in a battle with his nemesis Brett Favre for air time and Google searches on this Hump Day. Around the time news was breaking about Favre jumping on a plane back to Minnesota, GQ Magazine released their issue featuring an interview with James.

In the GQ story, James answered questions related to his recent move from Cleveland and how he landed in Miami via his ESPN prime-time special “The Decision.”

During the sit-down, LeBron also used the opportunity to slam Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, possibly retaliating to the harsh letter of criticism Gilbert laid out the morning after his player’s departure. And he did it in LeBron fashion, letting third person comments fly.

“I don’t think he ever cared about LeBron,” James told GQ. “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 [Gilbert].”

James joined Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to form an All-Star trio on the Miami Heat and after relocating to South Beach, he told GQ that Gilbert’s behavior has motivated him more to succeed.

Gilbert’s letter if you remember described James as “narcissistic; self-promotional” and went on to call him “the self-titled former king” and accused him of quitting during the 2009 and 2010 playoffs.

James formally responded to those accusations saying: “Every night on the court I give my all, and if I’m not giving 100 percent, I criticize myself.”

The NBA star added he has “A lot of motivation” and defended going on the ESPN special to announce to the world he was leaving Cleveland for South Beach.

James also told the mag he could see himself playing again for Cleveland someday but we all know that’s as much of a longshot as me playing for them, and I’m an overweight sports nut who lives on the couch watching ESPN when I’m not writing or going to a game.

After saying how he could see himself playing in a Cavs uniform again, James shared how as a kid growing up in Akron, he and his friends hated Cleveland saying: “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.”

Yes and I’m sure that feeling is very mutual nowadays.

MORE LeBron: Dan Gilbert Spanks LeBron, Literally – Sports Climax

Used with permission of the author.

Jay Donetelli is a Tampa-based freelance sportswriter and contributor to Sports Climax. With an opinion sharper than an Ovechkin skate blade with the sting of an Ali jab, Donetelli has a loyal cult of readers who have found a way to love him.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC

 Below is an image of the controversial LeBron James story detailing his trip to Las Vegas. ESPN has since yanked the story. Here’s their statement:

“The story should have never been published. The draft was inadvertently put on the server before going through the usual editorial process. We are in the midst of looking into the matter.” 

And here is an image of the original story published by ESPN.com:

It’s been a little more than a week since LeBron James went on his prime-time, hour-long show “The Decision” reared back and kicked the city of Cleveland square in the nuts.

In the ensuing days, the Cavaliers and the city of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame couldn’t rip the pictures of their new villain down fast enough, trashed the carefully preserved rose corsage from the 2007 Finals, and set their Facebook profile to “single.”

Cav’s owner Dan Gilbert took it one tiny step further, writing an open letter so visceral and incendiary that the NBA fined him $100,000, and that was for a letter written in comic sans font, not “Angry Bitch” font.

As the team and the city bid their frigid farewell to their self-proclaimed former king, the waters in Cleveland are far from calm. Conversely, after the blunt stab to the back, LeBron gave the knife another twist, arriving in South Beach a day later to meet the Heat.

The new “Big-Three” were lowered down onto a stage in their uniforms, arms crossed, with pyrotechnics display that would make the Black-Eyed Peas envious.

“It’s not a dynasty, it’s a Dyna-three,” shouted the public address announcer, in a scene befitting of the self-aggrandizing that in seconds washed away a near decade of good will James had built up.

After the smoke settled from the South Beach party for the self-proclaimed Dyna-Three, James was said to have gone house shopping and may have picked up the $45 million mansion that mysteriously came off the real estate market just hours after “The Decision”.

What does your Airness Michael Jordan, a man who stayed loyal to his Windy City and has six NBA Championship rings think of all this? Jordan was chased down recently and with very little coaxing let the world know LeBron took the easy way out, a path he would never have considered.

“There’s no way, with hindsight, I would’ve ever called up Larry [Bird], called up Magic [Johnson] and said, ‘Hey, look, let’s get together and play on one team’. In all honesty, I was trying to beat those guys.”

Jordan went on the say “I’m a competitive guy” possibly implying LeBron either lost or lacked that quality.

Now that the city of Cleveland, Jordan and every blog in America has weighed in; the fact is that Cleveland, who was on the verge of an NBA title the past several seasons, is now even further removed from a true chance at its first championship since 1964.

LeBron showed a side of himself that none of us, except Skip Bayless, may have wanted to see–the self indulgent, naïve, obtuse side of his personality. I liked LeBron, I like the NBA and although I’ve never been to Cleveland, I wanted him to choose loyalty, you know the word he has tattooed alongside his left torso for the world to see. But I also get why he made the choice he did.

What I disagree with is the contingency claiming he took the easy way out. He didn’t.

The Cavs may remain viable, only because of Gilbert. Even with the fire-breathing tirade, the hallow promise of a world championship before LeBron wins one, and the petty move of having one of his company’s, Fathead, sell life-size stickers of LeBron for $17.41 – signifying the year Benedict Arnold was born – Gilbert has come out of this better than James. Way better.

All it took was 24-hours for James to ignorantly throw out all the good will he had accumulate over the past decade of his meteoric rise from high school to now.

“The King’ went from castle to outhouse after making perhaps the worst public relations decision since Spencer and Heidi Pratt got in front of a rolling camera.

Dan Gilbert Spanks LeBron James, Literally – Sports Climax

LBJ and “The Decision” – Sports Climax

Used with permission of the author.

Theo is a staff reporter and feature writer for the Marin Independent Journal where he covers local prep and college sports. As an Associate Production Manager for ESPN, he helped produce Sunday Night Baseball among other national ESPN and ABC Sports telecasts. In addition to his contributions to Sports Climax, he is a columnist for Examiner.com and is the play-by-play voice for Sonoma State University baseball and softball.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC

The tug-of-war over LeBron James continues.

Not the one for landing the NBA’s biggest fish in this year’s free agency, that one was won by the Miami Heat, but the one pertaining to that expensive piece of jewelry with the number 23 on it that’s pictured here.

 The Associated Press reported that the Ohio woman who said she paid $5 at a yard sale for a LeBron James pendant worth nearly $10,000 says it’s been taken from her. The piece is said to contain a total of about 2 carats of diamonds.

Vaneisha Robinson had the basketball jersey-shaped white gold pendant appraised and put it for sale on eBay but after she responded to a call Wednesday from the mother of Maverick O. Carter, the CEO for James’ marketing company, the pendant was taken from her.

Robinson said the caller told her ‘The King’ himself wanted to buy the pendant but when she went to the woman’s house LeBron wasn’t there and other people threatened her and took it.

Wadsworth police Sgt. James Elchlinger said he determined the pendant belongs to Carter after Carter said it had been stolen from him.

Robinson on the other hand told WEWS-TV that the pendant belongs to her and she wants it back.

Aren’t there two other pieces of fine jewelry with the numbers 1 and 3 on them that should go along with this piece?

MORE LeBron: Cavs Owner Dan Gilbert Spanks LeBron

Used with permission of the author.

Jay Donetelli is a Tampa-based freelance sportswriter and contributor to Sports Climax. With an opinion sharper than an Ovechkin skate blade with the sting of an Ali jab, Donetelli has a loyal cult of readers who have found a way to love him.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC

The NBA has a true villain, LeBron James, and ESPN’ 1st and Ten analyst Skip Bayless just accrued a million fans overnight.

Bayless, who has been ripping LeBron as being overrated as an NBA star and his inability to win an NBA championship for years, will now be admired by the thousands of Cleveland fans who burned No. 23 jerseys and millions of other NBA fans across the country who are disgusted with James and “The Decision”.

After ‘The King’ as he calls himself, joined Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade to create an All-Star trio in Miami, the most outspoken was betrayed Clevland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert who vented and accused James of “quitting during the playoffs”.

Gilbert posted a scathing message to Cavs fans on the team’s website shortly after James announced he was deserting the shores of Lake Erie for the nude beaches in Miami.

Being accused of quitting by your owner is about as big an insult a player could get but I agree with Gilbert’s accusations and actually thought the same as I was watching those games against the Celtics when James was dominated and outplayed by the aging Celts who came back from a 2-1 game deficit to win that series.

“He quit,” Gilbert said. “Not just in Game 5, but in Games 2, 4 and 6. Watch the tape. The Boston series was unlike anything in the history of sports for a superstar.”

The Game 5 Gilbert is referring to is the game the aging Celtics took James to school and won by 32 points. During that game, James played lethargic while he team got blown off the court then made a cowardly remark after the game, ducking accountability saying he “spoiled people” with his play over seven seasons, whatever the hell that means.

Gilbert, who has owned the Cavs for five years, said he felt disrespected by James’ behavior since the season ended and that James never returned a single phone message or text since that time and that the Cavs were not informed of James’ decision until he went on the air last night.

During an interview with the AP, Gilbert pulled no punches saying:

“[Lebron] has gotten a free pass. People have covered up for him for way too long. Tonight we saw who he really is. LeBron James needs to go to another team with two superstars already so he can win a championship. We will win a championship before [the Heat] do.”

Gilbert went on to call LeBron “disrespectful”, “narcissistic” and “cowardly” and added a few other colorful words like “shameful”, “selfishness” and betrayal” and referred to LeBron’s move to South Beach as an “act of disloyalty,” and “heartless and callous”.

When it was all said in done, millions of Bayless haters are jumping on the Skip Bayless bandwagon and the NBA has themselves a true villain.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC

Rumors will be flying in this NBA off-season about what jersey LeBron James may land in.

SLAP! Excuse me, I just hauled off and slapped myself.

There are still two rounds to go in these NBA playoffs and the media, including us, are already absorbed in the LeBron sweepstakes.

Last time I looked there were four NBA teams that earned some press time by advancing to their NBA Conference Finals. Boston, Orlando, Phoenix and the L.A. Lakers all deserve the attention since they . . .

Forget that, back to LeBron.

After the Cleveland Cavaliers were given a shocking quick exit courtesy of Kevin Garnett and the Celts last night, Celtics fans was throwing in their two cents and giving a national television audience their prediction raising the roof with a chant:

“New York Knicks. New York Knicks!”

James had a statistically good night throwing up a triple-double, 27 points, 19 boards and 10 assists.

‘Throwing up’ may not be the best description pertaining to LeBron’s scoring; it seems more suitable for describing the symptoms Cavs fans may be having after another early ouster from the playoffs and the realization James may have played his final game in Cleveland.

When asked, James did not lay out any detail as expected about slam-dunking in another NBA uniform but he also did not suggest he will stay in the home of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame either.

“It’s all about winning for me, and I think the Cavs are committed to doing that,” James said. “But at the same time I’ve given myself options to this point.”

If LeBron does pack his bags, his final game could not have been a worse going away party. He was actually booed off the court after the Celtics took it to the Cavs blowing them out 120-88.

So where does ‘King’ James land? And I use that name lightly after his failure in this year’s playoffs.

The Chicago Bulls make a lot of sense since they have a foundation in place and plenty of championship history with Michael Jordan’s No. 23 jersey hanging in the rafters. Derrick Rose is one of the top point guards and Joakim Noah is developing along at a nice pace.

The Bulls gave away John Salmons and their No. 1 pick to the Fear the Deer group in Milwaukee and many believe that was solely to free up a butt-load of cash to bid on LeBron.

Miami is a part of this buzz as well and the timing of Pat Riley going to the press and declaring he may be interested in coaching again may not be a coincidence. Besides, they have the hottest cheerleaders on the planet who make every game feel like a sexy Halloween night.

Finally, the Celtics fans’ prediction, the New York Knicks. James has come right out and said New York is his favorite city and Madison Square Garden is his favorite NBA arena to play in and the Knicks have been clearing cap room for quite some time preparing to make a maximum offer to James.

If James is serious about wanting to be the first billionaire athlete in the universe, then the Knicks would almost have to be the place.

For sympathy reasons we will mention the train-wreck New Jersey Nets and give honorable mention to the L.A. Clippers because we have a really smart writer on staff here who lives on the west coast and thinks they may be prepping for the auction.

This summer will be one of the most interesting NBA off-seasons for sure, oh and BTW, I almost forgot to mention, the NBA Conference Finals start this weekend.

Copyright © 2010 Sports Climax, LLC

New York? Chicago? Miami?

Rumors will be flying in this NBA off-season about what jersey LeBron James may land in.

SLAP! Excuse me, I just hauled off and slapped myself.

There are still two rounds to go in these NBA playoffs and the media, including us, are already absorbed in the LeBron sweepstakes.

Last time I looked there were four NBA teams that earned some press time by advancing to their NBA Conference Finals. Boston, Orlando, Phoenix and the L.A. Lakers all deserve the attention since they . . .

Forget that, back to LeBron.

After the Cleveland Cavaliers were given a shocking quick exit courtesy of Kevin Garnett and the Celts last night, Celtics fans was throwing in their two cents and giving a national television audience their prediction raising the roof with a chant:

“New York Knicks. New York Knicks!”

James had a statistically good night throwing up a triple-double, 27 points, 19 boards and 10 assists.

‘Throwing up’ may not be the best description pertaining to LeBron’s scoring; it seems more suitable for describing the symptoms Cavs fans may be having after another early ouster from the playoffs and the realization James may have played his final game in Cleveland.

When asked, James did not lay out any detail as expected about slam-dunking in another NBA uniform but he also did not suggest he will stay in the home of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame either.

“It’s all about winning for me, and I think the Cavs are committed to doing that,” James said. “But at the same time I’ve given myself options to this point.”

If LeBron does pack his bags, his final game could not have been a worse going away party. He was actually booed off the court after the Celtics took it to the Cavs blowing them out 120-88.

So where does ‘King’ James land? And I use that name lightly after his failure in this year’s playoffs.

The Chicago Bulls make a lot of sense since they have a foundation in place and plenty of championship history with Michael Jordan’s No. 23 jersey hanging in the rafters. Derrick Rose is one of the top point guards and Joakim Noah is developing along at a nice pace.

The Bulls gave away John Salmons and their No. 1 pick to the Fear the Deer group in Milwaukee and many believe that was solely to free up a butt-load of cash to bid on LeBron.

Miami is a part of this buzz as well and the timing of Pat Riley going to the press and declaring he may be interested in coaching again may not be a coincidence.

Finally, the Celtics fans’ prediction, the New York Knicks. James has come right out and said New York is his favorite city and Madison Square Garden is his favorite NBA arena to play in and the Knicks have been clearing cap room for quite some time preparing to make a maximum offer to James.

If James is serious about wanting to be the first billionaire athlete in the universe, then the Knicks would almost have to be the place.

For sympathy reasons we will mention the train-wreck New Jersey Nets and give honorable mention to the L.A. Clippers because we have a really smart writer on staff here who lives on the west coast and thinks they may be prepping for the auction.

This summer will be one of the most interesting NBA off-seasons for sure, oh and BTW, I almost forgot to mention, the NBA Conference Finals start this weekend.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Chicago Bulls’ Derrick Rose netted 27 points and Joakim Noah added 21 points and 13 boards as the Bulls took a win in Charlotte 98-89 to secure the final No.8 seed in the NBA Playoffs.

The victory comes at the heels of severe internal conflicts that included a physical confrontation between head coach Vinny Del Negro and GM John Paxton. Throughout this, the Bulls were able to stay focused and end the season with a three-game win streak.

Here are all the Eastern Conference and Western Conference match-ups for the NBA Playoffs.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

No.1 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No.8 Chicago Bulls

No. 2 Orlando Magic vs. No. 7 Charlotte Bobcats

No. 3 Atlanta Hawks vs. No. 6 Milwaukee Bucks

No. 4 Boston Celtics vs. No. 5 Miami Heat

WESTERN CONFERENCE

No. 1 LA Lakers vs. No. 8 Oklahoma City

No. 2 Dallas Mavericks vs. No. 7 San Antonio Spurs

No. 3 Phoenix Suns vs. No. 6 Portland Trailblazers

No. 4 Denver Nuggets vs. No. 5 Utah Jazz

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax™

MIAMI, Fla. – Miami Heat guard Carlos Arroyo was arrested on February 26, 2010 after police complained he did not comply with their requests after pulling him over on his way to practice,

According to The Miami Herald newspaper, Arroyo was arrested in Coral Gables and faces charges for a traffic violation and resisting arrest without violence.

According to police, Arroyo was driving slowly and impeding traffic then did not pull over as a motorcycle cop made several attempts for him to do so.

The police documents stated a few extra units were called and after the NBA player pulled over, he “attempted to resist” being cuffed.

Arroyo was also accused of being confrontational and by the looks of his mugshot (pictured here) that reveals a bunch of nicks and scratches on Carlos’ face and neck, it may have been the cops who were a little overzealous.

After going down to the precinct to cheese for a mugshot, Arroyo was allowed to leave after he promised to appear in court.

Heat president Pat Riley released a comment saying he had no comment: “We are aware of the traffic stop involving Carlos Arroyo this morning . . . and we will have no comment at this time.”

Carlos also made a statement:

“I was in my car on the way to practice this morning when I was stopped by the police. This incident led to me being arrested for the very first time in my life”

“I sincerely apologize to my fans, family, the Miami Heat and the entire South Florida community for the negative publicity that has arisen from this morning’s events. I am confident that once all of the facts come out in a court of law, this matter will be resolved in my favor.”

Now we’re not legal experts here at Sports Climax but we did stay at a Holiday Inn once and this whole ordeal looks and sounds a little out of whack.

A Hispanic male driving down the road too slow.

The Hispanic gets pulled over.

A bunch of cops are summoned and rush to the scene.

The Hispanic dude gets cuffed, dragged down to precinct and the mugshot portrays a few subtle Rodney King-like similarities.

Stay tuned to Jocks Behind Bars for any further updates.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax™

A record-setting crowd of 108,713 jammed into Cowboys Stadium Sunday to watch the NBA Eastern Conference squeak out a 141-139 victory over the West.

Originally designed and listed to support a capacity of 35,000 fans for basketball and 80,000 for football, most of the fans had to watch the game on the giant screen to even have a clue what was happening on the court.

This game went down to the final seconds and ironically it was Dallas native Chris Bosh who scored the winning points, sinking free throws with just five seconds left.

The West got one more possession but Carmelo Anthony, who had a game-high 27 for the West, bounced a 3-pointer off the rim at the buzzer that would have won it.

Miami Heat player Dwyane Wade led the East with 28 points and 11 assists took home the MVP honors.

“I’ve had a little luck in Dallas. Of course, 2006 is very, very memorable, something I dreamed of doing for a long time, winning the NBA championship and I was lucky enough and blessed enough to win the MVP there,” Wade said. “To come and do it again is special.”

Cleveland Cavaliers LeBron James added 25 for the East and was in awe of the size of the crowd.

“To be in front of 108,000 fans, that was actually what it was, that was not a false number. You could look up in the stands, and there was not a seat open,” said James. “To be part of history is something that you always wish and dream for.”

The players spent their shoot-around trying to adjust to the gigantic stadium background which is so different from the standard size arenas they normally play in.

Copyright © 2010 – Sports Climax