A King in Name Only

In the wake of the Dallas Mavericks seemingly improbable NBA title run I feel compelled to do a little preaching. For the credential part of my presentation I will say that I was never very good... at anything that is. I never got a job people would envy. I never made a team anyone would root for. I never had the looks, the brains or the personality. But what I did have and what I do have and what I will always have is heart. Having heart is the only skill every one of us can fully develop. Loving life and loving yourself enough to give a shit. That is how I define it.

LeBron James has no heart. He has no guts. He has all the talent I never had. In a game of one-on-one hoops LeBron would tear me apart. But in the game of life I am a far bigger baller than he will ever be… and so are most of you. As we have all heard, read and said a lot about the man already, I want to emphasize that this is not about the King, who (paraphrasing the expression)… has no clothes. This is about you guys trying to make it in the jungles of Wall Street and in life.

LeBron is the perfect example of why no amount of money, power and popularity will automatically make a man out of you. His failure on the basketball court is a mirror image of the failures of the financial industry in recent history. Privileged, paid and about as pure as bucket of piss and puke. Don’t play the game the way he does guys. Here are a few reasons why…

...Or You Got A Wicked Jump Shot



These were the words that my generation of young city kids lived by. I grew up with guys like Kenny Anderson, Stephon Marbury and the legendary Lloyd Daniels. I played basketball and I not only loved it… I lived it. I was a forward adept on the wing and more than willing to bang on the low block. I could have been one of the greats, like Bird and McHale in the same body. The only problem was that that body was missing a good foot in height in order to trouble defenders past the early years of high school ball. That is why I took an obscene amount of pleasure in watching LeBron James fail miserably this past weekend. Someone with so much more talent than anyone in the history of the sport, but still too cowardly, arrogant and pathetic to do something with it.

Before I drift too far into my own hate for this media concoction who is realistically not even a top 100 player in the NBA all-time, I want to highlight the real purpose of this post. It is to make an analogy to the financial industry of today and its players you guys. Whether you are the silver spoon kid like LeBron, a doofy hard working nerd like Dirk Nowitzki, a brooding genius like Kobe, a waste of good genetics like Mike Dunleavy or the reason why marijuana is indeed a cheeseburger gateway drug like Eddy Curry…you are playing in the top league on the planet.

Don’t fuck up.

Don’t sulk. Don’t give in to pressure. Don’t give in to temptation. Don’t shy away from responsibility. Don’t rely on teammates by hiding behind them. Don’t speak in clichés. Don’t be afraid to take criticism. Don’t be anything but your own worst critic. Don’t have an entourage. Don’t sell your hometown or your team or your friends out for a bigger payday…there will always be money in this game. Don’t talk about winning until you’ve won. Don’t allow others to shower you with praise you know you don’t deserve. Don’t shy away from conflict. Don’t shy away from contact. Don’t pass the ball in tight situations unless it is to help someone else score. Don’t pass the ball in tight situations because you are afraid or don’t know how to score. Don’t bully those who are weaker if you cannot stand up to those who are tougher. Don’t count on talent. Don’t think your reputation will get you the crucial call in a pinch. Don’t ever underestimate a German. Don’t be a bitch. Don’t ignore this.

For anyone that did not get the point. This is not at all about LeBron James.

 

You dont just need talent, but you need to be confident in your talent and hard work.

Ive never actually watched a whole game of Lebron James until these finals, and so I believed he was a great player off of highlights and basically third person accounts. I was shocked at how timid Lebron looked in these finals, it was unbelievable.

 
Best Response

I think the problem with LeBron and a lot of the wiz kids on Wall St is they've never dealt with adversity. A lot of kids were at the top of their class in high school, aced their classes in college and got showered with praise when they landed their analyst gig. Once they enter the real world they get kicked around a little bit and find themselves at the bottom of the totem pole.

This is what we've seen with LBJ. Since leaving behind his public high school for St. Vincent-St. Mary, he's been called the King and constantly reminded how great he is. When he failed in Cleveland we blamed his teammates. Now he's failed in Miami and he doesn't have the "lack of help" excuse to hide behind.

When you get knocked down you can either stay down or come back stronger. Everyone fails. Everyone gets exposed. What separates the good from the great are those who come back stronger. I'm not a LeBron fan, but my guess is LBJ and the Heat win 3 of the next 4 championships.

 
Dr Barnaby Fulton:
I think the problem with LeBron and a lot of the wiz kids on Wall St is they've never dealt with adversity.
Excuse me but what the fuck do you know about LBJ? Are you from his old neighborhood? How can you say he's never dealt with adversity. What the fuck are you smoking?
 
Midas Mulligan Magoo:
Don’t sulk. Don’t give in to pressure. Don’t give in to temptation. Don’t shy away from responsibility. Don’t rely on teammates by hiding behind them. Don’t speak in clichés. Don’t be afraid to take criticism. Don’t be anything but your own worst critic. Don’t have an entourage. Don’t sell your hometown or your team or your friends out for a bigger payday…there will always be money in this game. Don’t talk about winning until you’ve won. Don’t allow others to shower you with praise you know you don’t deserve. Don’t shy away from conflict. Don’t shy away from contact. Don’t pass the ball in tight situations unless it is to help someone else score. Don’t pass the ball in tight situations because you are afraid or don’t know how to score. Don’t bully those who are weaker if you cannot stand up to those who are tougher. Don’t count on talent. Don’t think your reputation will get you the crucial call in a pinch. Don’t ever underestimate a German. Don’t be a bitch. Don’t ignore this.

That was pretty inspirational coach.

 
porsche959:
Jesus Christ am I the only one that thinks this post is shit?

Seems like describing LeBron as a "failure" is just like us Ibanking hopeful's defining every other bank besides the Goldman Sachs as a "failure"

Hes still the best player in the nba, took a shit team to the playoff's multiple times, and is entertaining as hell

I think this post went right over your head...

 
txjustin:
porsche959:
Jesus Christ am I the only one that thinks this post is shit?

Seems like describing LeBron as a "failure" is just like us Ibanking hopeful's defining every other bank besides the Goldman Sachs as a "failure"

Hes still the best player in the nba, took a shit team to the playoff's multiple times, and is entertaining as hell

I think this post went right over your head...

Way over...

The answer to your question is 1) network 2) get involved 3) beef up your resume 4) repeat -happypantsmcgee WSO is not your personal search function.
 

He didn't say Lebron wasn't good (even though he really isn't that good, if he wasn't on every nike billboard you've seen in the past few years you wouldn't regard him so highly). "He has all the talent I never had." He was more pointing to his poor values. "LeBron is the perfect example of why no amount of money, power and popularity will automatically make a man out of you. "

I don't consider it shit and I thought it was well written. I do think you didn't read the whole thing and just wrote an opinion one paragraph into it.

 

I don't think you can call Lebron "the silver spoon kid" though. He grew up poor and without a father. He leveraged his basketball talent to get into a private high school the same way people here leverage contacts to get on Wall Street.

 
SDBall22:
I don't think you can call Lebron "the silver spoon kid" though. He grew up poor and without a father. He leveraged his basketball talent to get into a private high school the same way people here leverage contacts to get on Wall Street.

SInce the end of his senior year in high school he has been the silver spoon kid.. (See:100mm contract with Nike before he played one professional game).

The answer to your question is 1) network 2) get involved 3) beef up your resume 4) repeat -happypantsmcgee WSO is not your personal search function.
 
blackfinancier:
SDBall22:
I don't think you can call Lebron "the silver spoon kid" though. He grew up poor and without a father. He leveraged his basketball talent to get into a private high school the same way people here leverage contacts to get on Wall Street.

SInce the end of his senior year in high school he has been the silver spoon kid.. (See:100mm contract with Nike before he played one professional game).

Nike gave him a contract based on what they thought his value would be to their products. He earned that contract by practicing basketball for countless hours. It wasn't a trust fund. God gave him athletic ability and a body but he had to work to become a good basketball player. He earned that contract. Do you think Nike would do it over again? They would in a heartbeat, probably give him 200M this time.

At the end of his senior year of high school he was 18 years old. Nike didn't give him the contract when he was born. That's what a silver spoon is. He earned that contract over the first 18 years of his life. You are an adult when you turn 18.

 
DurbanDiMangus:
Dr Barnaby Fulton:
I think the problem with LeBron and a lot of the wiz kids on Wall St is they've never dealt with adversity.
Excuse me but what the fuck do you know about LBJ? Are you from his old neighborhood? How can you say he's never dealt with advesity. What the fuck are you smoking?

I'm talking about adversity during his basketball career and his basketball career only. If you read the original post you would realize this. Of course he's dealt with adversity in his personal life. I don't know and don't care where he came from or his mom and Delonte West.

 
Dr Barnaby Fulton:
DurbanDiMangus:
Dr Barnaby Fulton:
I think the problem with LeBron and a lot of the wiz kids on Wall St is they've never dealt with adversity.
Excuse me but what the fuck do you know about LBJ? Are you from his old neighborhood? How can you say he's never dealt with advesity. What the fuck are you smoking?
I'm talking about adversity during his basketball career and his basketball career only. If you read the original post you would realize this. Of course he's dealt with adversity in his personal life. I don't know and don't care where he came from or his mom and Delonte West.
Haha. So you adversity point was a pile of shit -you don't know LBJ: you're not in the gym with him. The dude works pretty hard at his trade and by age 26 has achieved more of his goals and passions than many will. Your comments about him not facing adversity on the court is moot, his career is marked with many achievements. As to your failure point -- calling him a failure for not beating the mavs is a weird concept. They have failed to beat the mavs (this time) but he is clearly not a failure. Let's face it you're just some random online armchair quarterback posting anonymously, not some kind of fucking barometer for success. You're bitter, making your commentary senseless. He has been labeled as the arrogant villain of the NBA. You're happy "he got what's coming to him" because he's brash and arrogant and you (and many) feel all is right in the world when the "bad guy" 's losing. Why? because you were raised on Disney movies where the villain is slain and you are programmed to feel good when the good guys win. Your post is merely a psychological reflex from childhood, but not a relevant statement.
 

Not that I follow basketball much, but how does not winning a championship make LeBron a failure? Jordan didn't win 6 rings without a great cast of supporting players. Honestly, I never understand people getting pleasure or misery from having "their" team win or lose. Lebron is making millions and these clowns in Cleveland are making minimum wage.

It's like someone in a trailer laughing because the your mansion got egged.

Newsflash to all the LeBron haters in Cleveland. The NBA is a business. You live in a crappy city. LeBron urinates more money than you will make in 10 years. HIs weakest achievement is 10x better than your best. All this hate is simply pathetic. Go focus on accomplishing something in your life and stop thinking that a sports team somehow represents anything about YOUR life.

Losers.

 
ANT:
Not that I follow basketball much, but how does not winning a championship make LeBron a failure? Jordan didn't win 6 rings without a great cast of supporting players. Honestly, I never understand people getting pleasure or misery from having "their" team win or lose. Lebron is making millions and these clowns in Cleveland are making minimum wage.

It's like someone in a trailer laughing because the your mansion got egged.

Newsflash to all the LeBron haters in Cleveland. The NBA is a business. You live in a crappy city. LeBron urinates more money than you will make in 10 years. HIs weakest achievement is 10x better than your best. All this hate is simply pathetic. Go focus on accomplishing something in your life and stop thinking that a sports team somehow represents anything about YOUR life.

Losers.

That was great.

"yeah, thats right" High-Five
 
ANT:
Not that I follow basketball much, but how does not winning a championship make LeBron a failure? Jordan didn't win 6 rings without a great cast of supporting players. Honestly, I never understand people getting pleasure or misery from having "their" team win or lose. Lebron is making millions and these clowns in Cleveland are making minimum wage.

It's like someone in a trailer laughing because the your mansion got egged.

Newsflash to all the LeBron haters in Cleveland. The NBA is a business. You live in a crappy city. LeBron urinates more money than you will make in 10 years. HIs weakest achievement is 10x better than your best. All this hate is simply pathetic. Go focus on accomplishing something in your life and stop thinking that a sports team somehow represents anything about YOUR life.

Losers.

Never thought I'd say this but I completely agree with ANT.

 

A little bit childish, a little bit arrogant!!! It's exactly how LBJ and a lot of "wall streeters" behave. Thank you Maids. It was a great post and i had a good lesson. :)

The time is now...
 
EarTotheStreet:
A 90 Million dollar shoe contract before you step on the court takes away alot of motivation

You have obviously never played sports at any competitive level. Do you have any idea how that pressure must weigh on him. He is probably more motivated by the fact that he has to live up to all the expectations. There is no hiding for him.

 

his poor respond reminded me my favorite TED's talk by Coach Wooden

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/john_wooden_on_the_difference_between…

"My idea is that you can lose when you outscore somebody in a game. And you can win when you're outscored. I've felt that way on certain occasions, at various times. And I just wanted them to be able to hold their head up after a game. I used to say that when a game is over, and you see somebody that didn't know the outcome, I hope they couldn't tell by your actions whether you outscored an opponent or the opponent outscored you."

Enjoy~

 

I find it funny that Lebron left, took less money in order to win a championship and he STILL gets shit on.

People talk about athletes only being in it for the money then this guy turns down top dollar to win and still gets all the hate on earth. Dude can do no right.

If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses - Henry Ford
 
derivstrading:
saying Lebron James did not go through adversity and to call him a 'silver spoon kid' is probably the MOST retarded and ignorant thing I have ever heard in my life.

Thank you sir.

 

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