LeBron James has undeniably earned himself a spot in the list of greatest players of all time. From being a kid from Akron to King James who is ruling the league, his journey has been a remarkable one. However, not one without any controversies. James’ name has been dragged into some of the biggest controversies of the league and he likely regrets being caught up in them.
He debuted in the league in 2003 after being picked by the Cleveland Cavaliers. James is currently the oldest active player, yet he plays with the same energy he showed during his debut game. From his debut to now, he has won countless awards and recognitions. Some of these include reaching the top of the NBA’s All-Time scoring list, winning four championships, and so on.
Notably, James did not go to college and instead, made his NBA debut straight out of high school. This created a buzz in the league and everyone had high expectations of him. In his rookie season itself, James started leaving an everlasting impact. Intriguingly, there have been claims that James’ teammates hated him and he rose to success despite that.
No matter how much success he saw on the court, he still found himself at the receiving end of a backlash. More often than not, controversies are formed after his comments on a certain situation. In his decades-long career, James has been a part of countless controversies. The most recent one was after the Lakers star attended his son Bronny James’ awaited USC debut.
‘The Decision’ to leave Cleveland Cavaliers
It probably doesn’t come as a surprise that the ESPN show ‘The Decision‘ was one of the most controversial moves of LeBron James. The show was aired on July 8, 2010, wherein James publicly declared his decision after his infamous free-agency period. As soon as James said “I’m taking my talents to South Beach,” the unbeatable buzz surrounded it.
James decided to leave his hometown team Cleveland Cavaliers, and instead join the Miami Heat. This sent shockwaves through the NBA community and James received heavy backlash for it. Fans believed that he disrespected and disregarded his time with the Cavaliers. Additionally, they felt that the decision to join a certain team should not be telecasted the way it did.
On this day in 2010, LeBron James made The Decision to join the Miami Heat with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh 🔥
Cavs fans clearly weren’t too thrilled with LeBron 😬
(via @TDISportsClips)pic.twitter.com/gTfcDdUxpd
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) July 8, 2023
He was highly criticized for the ESPN show and fans’ anger reached the point wherein they burned James’ jerseys to express their disappointment. Additionally, ex-ESPN anchor Michelle Beadle mocked the documentary, and years later she claimed that James wanted her to be fired after that.
Furthermore, James did come back to the Cavaliers after playing four seasons and winning two NBA championships for the Heat. Fans rejoiced at James’ homecoming, however, as per various sources, the bitterness from the betrayal they felt was still present. He played from 2014 to 2018 and won his third championship title with his hometown team.
Response to Kobe Bryant shoe comparison
Kobe Bryant and LeBron James both arguably took the Los Angeles Lakers team to greater heights. They are among the most celebrated Lakers stars and have earned the respect of many. However, James’ response to Black Mamba‘s shoe comparison disheartened many of his fans.
Back in 2011, the Nike LeBron 8V/2 was released and was being sold at a whopping $160. James was asked before Christmas as to why his sneakers cost that much, whereas, Bryant’s Zoom Kobe VI was just around $30 or less. To this, he responded, “Because it’s LeBron’s shoe.”
Furthermore, he spoke about how it got his name and expressed that he takes pride in his shoes every year. In addition to this, James said that he takes pride in having the best shoes, thereby, putting down Bryant’s shoes which did not sit well with his fans. Not only this, James also said, “So they’re going to cost a little more if you decide to wear them.”
Additionally, fans believed that putting down someone else’s shoes or name wasn’t much of King James’ behavior and they were disappointed at this. Notably, James’ 8V/2 sneakers made a return in the summer of 2021 and had a color scheme of blue, white, black, and violet. Notably, these shoes are inspired by the magic city’s nightlife.
Rumors of cheating on Savannah James
LeBron James and Savannah James have been among the most powerful couples in the NBA. From being high-school sweethearts to supporting each other through life, the two have inspired countless people. However, it isn’t new for NBA players to be included in rumors about cheating on their wives. Especially since they go around a lot for their matches, and fans believe it gets them time to cheat or get cheated on.
The rumors came to the surface when LeBron used to play for the Cavaliers. Fans accused him of cheating on Savannah with Grammy Award-winning artist Rihanna. To make things worse, Savannah’s Instagram post from around the same time was deemed to be cryptic. “When you start realizing sh*t. I been knew but I’m going with my gut this time,” she captioned the post.
In addition to Rihanna, LeBron has been claimed to have cheated on Savannah with Sofia Jamora, Model Carmen Ortega, and so many more. Out of this, Ortega claimed that she dated LeBron just a few weeks before he walked down the aisle with Savannah.
Furthermore, the Lakers star has never left a stone unturned when it comes to appreciating Savannah. He has famously said that he owed his career to his wife. In addition to this, LeBron has also called Savannah the real MVP. To this, a few fans brought up his alleged cheating and said, “Literally Cheats on Her All the Time.” Not only this, fans have also hoped that Savannah would cheat back on him as well.
Sitting through the national anthem
The most recent controversy that LeBron James has found himself in is when he came to support his son Bronny James’ debut game. LeBron’s eldest son’s career has been in the limelight for quite some time as he had a life-threatening health scare that led him to undergo surgery. Fans believed that LeBron’s dream of playing with his sons might not become a reality. However, seeing Bronny in USC colors was a ray of hope.
Bronny‘s most awaited debut game happened against Long Beach State a couple of days ago. As a father, LeBron likely wanted the big day to be all about Bronny. However, the opposite ended up happening as he drew the attention towards himself. His hilarious interaction with the youngest Zhuri became the spotlight of the game and fans had a field day guessing their topic of discussion.
LeBron James casually walks into the basketball arena while the National Anthem is playing and takes a seat.
Zero respect for the country that gave him the opportunity to be a basketball star.
Zero respect for the country that allowed him to become a billionaire.
Zero respect… pic.twitter.com/NaTmdeOabx
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) December 13, 2023
Furthermore, LeBron was at the receiving end of backlash after he was captured sitting through the national anthem. In the video, the Lakers star made an entrance while the Star-Spangled Banner, the national anthem of the United States was playing. He sat on the seat and had his cap on his head, which made fans angry and disappointed.
The now-viral video was originally posted by reported Luca Evans. He took to his ‘X‘ (Formerly known as Twitter) account to share the real reason behind it. Evans explained that it is objectively the best time for LeBron to make an entrance without causing a major disturbance. Despite this explanation, fans did not stop trolling LeBron and expressing their disappointment.
Saudi Arabia visit
LeBron James visited Saudi Arabia in September 2023 which garnered negative comments over the internet from his fans. This unexpected visit did not sit well with his fans as it came just a few weeks after he joked about going to Saudi to play. James took to his ‘X‘ account in July and tweeted “Me headed to Saudi when they call @RichPaul4 [Rich Paul] & @mavcarter [Maverick Carter] for that 1-year deal!” along with a gif.
TMZ was among the first ones to report James’ Saudi Arabia visit. Notably, less than a month before James’ visited Saudi, Giannis Antetokounmpo spoke to TMZ about seeing a career in the country. He said that he would be willing to settle in if the pay is high – something that he was criticized for as well. Other athletes who have been linked to Saudi are Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé, Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, and many more.
However, the real reason behind his visit was something else than the alleged $1 Billion contract. Turns out, James went to Saudi to train young players in a basketball clinic that was planned out by the Saudi Arabia Basketball Federation. Other NBA players similarly conduct such sessions within the United States and other countries as well to share their knowledge and encourage the youth.
Dr. Ghassan Tashkandi, the president of the federation sent a heartfelt message for him, “We are incredibly honored to welcome LeBron James to Riyadh today. Seeing the reactions and smiles on the faces of all the players was priceless.” Further, he talked about his passion for the game and his willingness to take time to train the players. Tashkandi emphasized that this is a major boost for the sport in the country.
Comments on Brittney Griner
LeBron James made a controversial comment about WNBA star Brittney Griner when she was in Russian custody under drug charges. Griner was going to Russia to play and cannabis oils were discovered in her suitcase during security check. She disclosed that she wasn’t aware of this criminal offense and yet was found guilty and arrested by the government.
Her fans and family were trying to raise awareness and urge the US government to bring her back. Around the same time, James made an appearance on “The Shop”, and made comments about Grinner. He said, “She’s been there over 110 days. Now, how could she feel like America has her back? I would be feeling like, ‘Do I even want to go back to America?” This led to a buzz over the internet and James was backlashed for these comments.
My comments on “The Shop” regarding Brittney Griner wasn’t knocking our beautiful country. I was simply saying how she’s probably feeling emotionally along with so many other emotions, thoughts, etc inside that cage she’s been in for over 100+ days! Long story short #BringHerHome
— LeBron James (@KingJames) July 13, 2022
Shortly after this, James tweeted to clarify that he did not mean what people took it as. He emphasized that he wasn’t trying to mock Griner or disrespect the country, but rather was sympathizing with her. James said, “I was simply saying how she’s probably feeling emotionally along with so many other emotions, thoughts, etc inside that cage she’s been in for over 100+ days.”
He concluded with the #BringHerHome, a tag that everyone was using to create awareness and get her back. All of this was successful as she was brought back as a part of a deal made between the Russian and United States governments. Viktor Bout was the Russian who was exchanged for Brittney Griner and he is currently a is a local politician.
Alleged Performance Enhancing Drugs (PED) use
LeBron James is among the NBA players who have allegedly cheated by taking steroids. His remarkable performance and extraordinary physique have led fans to believe that he takes performance-enhancing drugs (PED). After almost every iconic performance that James delivers, these rumors surface in large numbers and storm the internet.
Notably, American promoter and mixed martial artist Chael Sonnen has accused James of using Erythropoietin (EPO) to enhance his performance. Furthermore, federal documents that were acquired by ESPN’s Mike Fish made a shocking revelation and left the fans stunned. As per the documents, the Lakers star was briefly investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in 2013.
Additionally, it has also cleared the accusation of James using PEDs after a careful process. However, this has yet not stopped fans from accusing him of using the drugs. The incredible performances that he puts out on the court, have these consequences off the court. James has not made any public statements regarding the use of PEDs accusations.
Furthermore, James has been a part of the league for decades now and has broken as well as made new records that have strengthened his status of being one of the best players. However, it is undeniable that as success follows a player, so do controversies. This is what has happened with LeBron James so far, and it is expected that his name will be dragged into more controversies as he moves ahead in his career.