Tag: Dwyane Wade

Hey LeBron, could you please stay away from us?

Maybe next time a college football coach hears that LeBron James wants to attend his game, he might want to respectfully decline.

James and his posse continued to bring bad luck after their visit Saturday to Oregon, where the Ducks needed a victory to remain in the hunt for a Bowl Championship Series title game berth.

Instead, USC notched a stunning 38-35 victory to knock the Ducks out of the national championship game hunt. Among those on the sideline to watch the upset were Nike endorsers James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade.

For those of you counting at home, here are some of James’ “black cat” moments in recent months.

  • He predicts the Heat will win multiple NBA championships. In his first attempt, he shrinks miserably in the fourth quarter of several games during a six-game NBA Finals loss to Dallas.
  • He extends a pre-sponsorship deal with Ohio State, a school he likely would have attended if he didn’t jump straight to the NBA. The Buckeyes endure the biggest scandal in the school’s athletic history as Jim Tressel departs.
  • A similar deal is announced with Miami, shortly before the Hurricanes endure an embarrassing scandal involving prostitutes and rampant NCAA violations. The Hurricanes won’t play in a bowl game this season, among other upcoming sanctions.
  • He joins with a group including the Boston Red Sox ownership to buy the Liverpool FC soccer team. Shortly afterwards, the Red Sox endure one of the most noteworthy collapses in baseball history complete with a fried chicken scandal to boot as they fail to make the playoffs. Both the manager and general manager leave the franchise in the wake of the collapse.

Thanks, LeBron. Why don’t you just stay away.

Wade not ready to give up his ‘Air Jordans’

Michael Jordan has been about as popular as ants at a picnic for many NBA players since his strident views on the lockout have become common knowledge.

Jordan has been one of the most vocal owners who have demanded the league to turn down the recent deal for a 50-50 split in the basketball related income with the players. Considering that “His Airness” is an owner of the small-market Charlotte Bobcats, it’s not hard to see why. 

But those views have been an anathema to many basketball players who were weaned on “being like Mike” as they learned how to dunk wearing their Air Jordan Nike tennis shoes.

Indiana forward Paul George called Jordan  Former NBA player Stephon Marbury said he was . Los Angeles Lakers forward Metta World Peace said he by Jordan’s anti-union stance. Washington forward Nick Young .  

But Miami guard Dwyane Wade, who coincidentally is one of the NBA players with the largest deals with Nike to endorse Jordan’s apparel line, isn’t ready to diss the icon or his shoes.

“I really didn’t need to get involved in all that,” Wade . “Obviously I wear a different hat than certain other guys that got involved in it. And I stay away from it. I have an obligation and I have a job to do and I’m going to do my job.”

Wade has heard the comments from the other players. But he doesn’t want to join them in their vituperation for Jordan.

“That’s on Nick Young,” Wade said. “That’s his moment. Obviously, that’s his own choice and decision and, you know, that’s something he’s going to have to deal with. I can’t let that affect me. I have my own things to run, my own stuff to think about what I’m doing with my own shoes.

“Obviously, I heard about it, because you can’t do nothing but hear about everything now, because there’s nothing else to do.”

Translation: It’s nice to be paid for endorsing Jordan’s shoes — particularly during the lockout.

LBJ and his ‘Rat Pack’ didn’t tip their casino servers at CP3′s wedding

It looks as even the richest of the NBA superstars are penching their pennies during the lockout.

Las Vegas Review-Journal columnist Norm Clarke had an where he describes the penurious ways of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony at Chris Paul’s recent extended bachelor’s party last month in his city.

The group received complimentary benefits while partying at the Cosmopolitan Club and Palazzo. But Clarke reports they forgot about their servers as they allegedly failed to leave any gratuities while they were there. The exchange is about at the 8-minute mark of the interview.

“People at the Cosmopolitan said when Chris Paul had his bachelor party here last month, he had LeBron in and the whole gang,” Clarke said.  “They were comped well into the morning.  The word is that they never left a tip for any night that they were out getting comped.  We’ve heard that about LeBron, that’s been common.”

If the story is true, LBJ and his posse are following in the footsteps of some notable NBA superstars before him as Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen were similarly cheap on some of their Vegas trips.

“I’m sure you’ve heard the nicknames that Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen had out here,” Clarke said. “The dealers called him  ‘Hoardin’ Jordan’, and Pippen was ‘Scottie No-tippin’ Pippen’.”

It’s not a good way for today’s top basketball players to build much support among the public among their fans by stiffing their servers.

The economy is bad for them, too.