LeBron James’ infamous ‘The Decision’ special is still resonating around the NBA over 10 years later. The 36-year-old created a lot of controversy in the league with his special program to announce his free agency decision. In 2010, he selected the Miami Heat as his new franchise, joining Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in South Beach.
Bill Simmons, who curiously came up with the idea of ‘The Decision,’ criticized LeBron for changing teams that way. In July 2010, the then ESPN columnist wrote a piece about the King’s decision, calling out LeBron’s close people for encouraging his ‘narcissism.’
It’s one thing to leave. I get it. You’re 25. You don’t know any better. You’re tired of carrying mediocre teams. You want help. You want the luxury of not having to play a remarkable game every single night for eight straight months. You want to live in South Beach. You want to play with your buddies. I get it. I get it. But turning that decision into a one-hour special, pretending that it hadn’t been decided weeks ago, using a charity as your cover-up and ramming a pitchfork in Cleveland’s back like you were at the end of a Friday the 13th movie and Cleveland was Jason … there just had to be a better way.I blame the people around him.
I blame the lack of a father figure in his life. I blame us for feeding his narcissism to the point that he referred to himself in the third person five times in 45 minutes. I blame local and national writers (including myself) for apparently not doing a good enough job explaining to athletes like LeBron what sports mean to us, and how it IS a marriage, for better and worse, and that we’re much more attached to these players and teams than they realize. I blame David Stern for not throwing his body in front of that show. I blame everyone.
Obviously, Simmons wasn’t happy with that situation and LeBron’s close circle didn’t enjoy his words, either. This is why Rich Paul, Bron’s friend, and agent, called out Simmons for his criticism towards the Los Angeles Lakers superstar.
The Klutch Sports owner claimed that the criticism towards his friend and client was racists, as Simmons wouldn’t say the same about Larry Bird or JJ Redick.
Bill has become one of LeBron’s biggest detractors, which doesn’t seem to be changing anytime soon. The 4x NBA champion has an enormous legacy, and he doesn’t need to prove anything to anybody. Still, it’s good to know that his loved ones are ready to defend him against those trying to bring him down.
