Michael Kinney
NORMAN — It’s an arbitrary action. Going across the court or field to shake hands with the opponent that just beat you serves as much purpose as buying an 8-track tape deck when you only own CDs.
However, as useless as it may be in the grand scheme of things, it is still something all competitors have to do when it’s called upon.
So when LeBron James decided to skip out on this Saturday after his Cleveland Cavaliers were eliminated from the NBA playoffs by the Orlando Magic, it set off a mini firestorm. I don’t want to even call it a firestorm because most people tried to give him built in excuses for his behavior.
But for those who didn’t take that route, James was branded a sore loser, which is not the worst thing an athlete can be called. Even James admitted the next day that he saw nothing wrong with his actions.
“It’s hard for me to congratulate somebody after you just lose to them, I’m a winner,” James told local media in Cleveland. “It’s not being a poor sport or anything like that. If somebody beats you up, you’re not going to congratulate them. That doesn’t make sense to me. I’m a competitor. That’s what I do. It doesn’t make sense for me to go over and shake somebody’s hand.”
James said it’s not poor sportsmanship to not shake your opponents hands. But in fact, that is exactly what being a poor sportsman is. It’s not giving respect to a foe for what they accomplished.
However, I am not hung up on the fact that he excused himself from the customary handshake and obligatory good job. I am sad to say, I have done that several times throughout my athletic career in high school and college. It’s not something I’m proud of. But emotions do sometimes get the better of you.
What turned me around was after a loss one Friday night in Lawton, I sat on the sideline bench as my team crossed the field to shake hands. The next morning, as the game was replayed on local television, I looked like a spoiled brat sitting alone on the bench. I looked like they didn’t just beat me, but that they defeated me also. I would not allow that impression to be given again.
Yet, what I was most disappointed to see from James was him sneaking out the back door after the loss and not talking to the media. When the Cavaliers were winning, he had no problem being the first person into the interview room to bask in the glow and adulation of fawning reporters. But when times got tough, and he failed to live up to the hype he and others set, that’s when he decided he didn’t want to speak to anyone and let his “complementary” teammates and coach to face the heat of the reporters.
It may seem like such a small incident for what has been a brilliant start to a career. But for six years, James has been handed everything the NBA has to offer. His second year in the league, some were already calling him the best player in the NBA. Now you have analysts reflecting that he may already be one of the greatest players of all time.
However, players like Magic, Bird, Jordan, Kobe and Shaq are even more competitive than James but they would have never allowed themselves to pull a stunt like this. And they are all actually winners and have rings to prove it.
It is easy to be a leader when the sun is shining and the crowds are cheering your name. It’s when the clouds have set in and the boos reign down that true leaders show their worth.
There is a quote out there that says you don’t judge someone during the good times. It’s when times are bad that the true nature and character of a man shows itself. If that is true, which I believe it is, then James will continue to be the golden child of the NBA without any gold hardware to show for it.
