New Study Finds Lebron James as NBA’s Most Hated Player

New Study Finds Lebron James as NBA’s Most Hated Player

Jarret Freeman

Sports Insider conducted a study and found that Lebron James is the most hated player in the National Basketball Association. This study may not come as too much of a surprise as James has been quite vocal in many of the country’s top controversial topics. 

Recently, James came under fire by the National Fraternal Order of Police for using his influence to call for an attack on a police officer who shot and killed a teenage girl wielding a knife to save the life of another black adolescent girl.  

James eventually deleted the tweet, but the damage is ongoing. James’ platform gave license to millions of Americans to comment and, in some cases, act on a tragic scenario without having all of the details at hand. Even the Biden White House moved swiftly to comment on this sad occurrence without all the details.

In hindsight, the life of a young woman was still lost, yet having facts to understand best what happened was what the country truly needed; then, sadly, we have not made much progress in this regard. 

James is one of the best athletes in the NBA, yet his willingness and strong desire to use his workplace as a stage for what he believes in often finds a way of clashing with many fans who respect his talents on the court.

It’s great to stand up for what you believe in, and by all means, you should. The Lebron James Family Foundation does excellent work around the country for education and advocacy and should continue to do so through this lens.

The NBA is a place of work and prides itself on having a diversity of ideas and individuals who represent it, yet in today’s era, can one of its athletes have an opposing opinion and not be chastised for it?

James has in many ways taken the mantle of part-time athlete, part-time social justice warrior from former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick who initiated a wave of player protests by taking a knee during the playing of the national anthem beginning in 2015.

Lebron is disliked not so much for his athletic abilities but his willingness to use his platform of millions of followers to force his ideals on his fans which in recent years, the NBA has slowly acquiesced. Furthermore, each year James chooses to isolate half of the country with his rhetoric has only empowered viewers to change the channel sparking a continuous steady drop in NBA viewer ratings.

Former President Donald Trump commented that “LeBron James should focus on basketball rather than presiding over the destruction of the NBA, which has just recorded the lowest television RATINGS, by far, in the long and distinguished history of the league,” Trump said. “His RACIST rants are divisive, nasty, insulting, and demeaning. He may be a great basketball player, but he is doing nothing to bring our country together!”

Will Folks said it best; Americans turn to sports and Hollywood to escape politics, not be bombarded by it.