Here’s some Laker news that doesn’t involve free agency or trades. It’s not future Laker news, but news surrounding Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Apparently, he’s rather skeptical about Lebron James and the way he returned home to the Cleveland Cavaliers, after leaving the Miami Heat.
Via Time.com:
To some skeptical residents, LeBron’s return to Cleveland is less that of the prodigal son’s triumphant return home than the straying husband who abandoned his longtime partner to chase a younger, hotter, firmer slice having second thoughts. Having realized he traded a deep love for a sweaty romp, he’s coming home with a bouquet of roses in one hand and a diamond bracelet in the other, begging forgiveness for his foolish mistake of lustful youth.
When LeBron left Cleveland he celebrated it as the Exodus from Egypt and enslavement, and that arrogance left a bitter taste in his fans’ mouths. It was like showing up at a party with his new girlfriend when he knew his ex would be there. Tacky. Even his return to Cleveland might have been seen as more from the heart, as he states in his essay, if it had just been announced as a fait accompli instead of the press and fans waiting in anticipation for the word to come down from the mountain inscribed on tablets.
But in another way, LeBron can’t go home again. At least not to the home he once knew. They may be grateful and joyful, but they are also wiser. Like the betrayed spouse, they will have to wait and see, they will have to be wooed, they will have to be convinced that his sincerity, to quote “Porgy and Bess,” ain’t a sometime thing.
Pretty brutal huh? But done with such poetry and finesse. You gotta think that perhaps Abdul-Jabbar had a ghost writer craft that. It’s such excellent prose we suspect he had a professional help him. Then again, you saw the “Airplane” movies, so you know what a great artist he is.
By the way, Dubai is buzzing with the announcement that yet another Los Angeles Lakers legend is heading to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The NBA’s all-time leading scorer and six-time champion will be in the UAE from 28-31 October to lead the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Health & Fitness Weekend in support of diabetes awareness. The objective of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar health & fitness weekend is to increase awareness of the importance of health & fitness by encouraging the UAE community to lead active lifestyles.
So Kareem is quite the philanthropist and humanitarian this week; in addition to being a sports iconoclast.
When I first tweeted the link to the news that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was heading to Dubai, I received what was perhaps the tweet of the month in response: “How much cap space does that free up for the Lakers?” (@ofvoid)
Paul M. Banks owns The Sports Bank.net, an affiliate of Fox Sports. He’s also a frequent guest on talk shows across the world. Banks has been featured in hundreds of media outlets including NFL.com, Forbes, Bleacher Report, Deadspin, ESPN, Washington Times, NBC and the History Channel. President Barack Obama follows him on Twitter (@paulmbanks)