ESPN pulls unflattering Vegas party article about LeBron from website... [Archive] - Message Board Basketball Forum

Jordan-esque

07-28-2010, 01:42 PM

http://www.sportsgrid.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Screen-shot-2010-07-28-at-12.12.28-PM-220x158.png
Article written by ESPN's own writer Arash Makazi was pulled from ESPN.com shortly after it was posted

http://www.sportsgrid.com/nba/espn-may-have-pulled-story-painting-lebron-james-as-childlike-megalomaniac/

The article chronicles LeBron’s recent party in Las Vegas, and paints him in a less-than-flattering light. Now, after an hour and 15 minutes up on ESPN.com, the link is dead as if it never existed, and I’m wondering if ESPN pulled it because of pressure from LeBron James’ camp. Chris Littman from Sporting News chronicles the bizarre series of events on his Twitter and posted a JPEG of the article before it was taken down ESPN.com.

Here are some quick excerpts from the article chronicling James' massive party:

- “Bottle after bottle” of ‘Ace of Spades’ champagne is delivered to LeBron by a waiter who flies down from the dance floor “like an overgrown Peter Pan.” All we can say is, we saw this coming.

- One time the waiter is dressed as a King, another as Indiana Jones. At one point he almost kicks LeBron in the head by accident, to which James says, “I wish they’d have one of these girls with no panties do that instead of this guy.”

- Glen “Big Baby” Davis, apparently at the same club by coincidence, walks by and surveys the spectacle before him. All he can do is shake his head and keep walking. Even the so-called Big Baby couldn't believe Kid James.

- James and Lamar Odom teach each other how to Dougie. Odom then casts a glance James' way before looking in the opposite direction, and raising his glass at a couple on the dance floor who point to their ring fingers and smile.

- Markazi on James: “The more time you spend around him, the more you realize he’s a child wrapped in 6-foot-8, 250-pound frame.” The night after the party at Tao, he and his crew walk through the casino at the Wynn and Encore and he pretends to dribble a basketball, weaving throug a pack of dozen friends for a layup, and dunking on overhead casion signs, as he walks past ringing slot machines and tourists who do double-takes. In a Nike T-shirt, jeans and sneakers, James' pantomime seems unconscious."

Yep, that’s probably the line that got Camp LeBron angry the most.

As Littman points out, this isn’t the first time that LeBron’s handlers may or may not have censored a story about their star. Remember the Jordan Crawford dunk?

KenneBell

07-28-2010, 01:48 PM

How unexpected of ESPN to do this.:rolleyes:

Protect the King at all costs.

chains5000

07-28-2010, 01:49 PM

300+ posts...

StacksOnDeck

07-28-2010, 01:50 PM

Lol, it's not even an anti-Lebron article. Lord knows if it was about Kobe, it wouldn't be pulled.

Batz

07-28-2010, 01:51 PM

http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2010/0727/la_g_lebronvegas2_400.jpg
:milton

InspiredLebowski

07-28-2010, 01:51 PM

I don't really care about this article, none of it seems that bad. Wow a mega rich athlete is a dickhead, shocking. I just wish they'd stop these "child wrapped in an athlete's body" euphemisms. Call a spade a spade, the guy is just flat out dumb.

john_d

07-28-2010, 01:52 PM

LeBron James leans against a waist-high stone wall with a 16-foot-tall Buddha hovering over him.

He's at Tao, a bustling restaurant and nightclub inside the Venetian hotel and his arms are crossed as he listens to Lynn Meritt, Senior Director of Nike Basketball, and Charles Denson, President of Nike Brand talk.

James is quiet, occasionally applying Chap Stick on his lips and nodding his head when he hears something he likes.

Five security guards are stationed around him, one at each corner of the table he's about to sit at and another roving around with him, watching his every move. Anyone who takes two steps towards him is stopped and must have James' approval to come further.

The waiter bringing him his cup of green tea with a spoonful of honey and a dash of lemon juice makes the cut, as does the scantily clad brunette with a tattoo of a heart on her right shoulder.

She wants to take a picture with him. "I can't right now," says James. "Maybe later, upstairs, I'll remember you're the one with the tattoo."

James will host a party later in the upstairs nightclub at Tao, but he is currently hosting a dinner for his friends and family in the downstairs restaurant. Wearing a grey striped shirt and gold crucifix around his neck, he bobs his head to music played by an amped-up saxophonist who weaves his way around the table like a one-man mariachi band.

I have somehow found myself at this exclusive table, seated beside Eddie Jackson, who is introduced to me as James' father (though he actually began dating James' mother, Gloria, after LeBron was born and the two are no longer together). Jackson, wearing a muscle shirt accentuating his large biceps, looks like a member of James' four-man entourage, like one of his childhood friends.

James' circle includes Randy Mims, seated to his right at the center of the table, Maverick Carter, seated at the head of the table, and Richard Paul, seated in front of James. The quartet makes up the initials behind LRMR Marketing, the management firm James founded almost four years ago with his buddies. Their offices in downtown Cleveland gained notoriety earlier this month as the location teams flocked to for their meetings with James.

Seated to the right of James is Chris Paul, whose brother, C.J., is seated across from him. The New Orleans Hornets point guard reportedly has seen how James has positioned himself to win a championship by signing with the Miami Heat and joining forces with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, and has reportedly considered a similar move himself.

The truth is, in James' dream world, the duo he would love to play with for the next decade would be Wade and Paul, his two closest friends in the NBA. Paul has been like a brother to James since the two were in Las Vegas four years ago for USA Basketball training camp, when as a rookie he carried James' and Wade's bags to and from the team bus.

James and Paul are fairly quiet at the center of the table as they take in the scene around them. As family style plates of miso-glazed Chilean sea bass and crispy lobster and shrimp dumplings are brought to the table, James effortlessly picks up the food with his chopsticks and occasionally raises his cup of green tea to passersby as they raise their martinis and mojitos in his direction before being helped along by security guards.

When trays of desert plates are brought over, James gets up, preferring to start his party upstairs instead of indulging in the giant fortune cookies and chocolate cake. A security guard comes over and puts plastic wristbands on our wrists and escorts us through the back of the restaurant, up a flight of stairs in the bowels of the hotel and through a back entrance into the club. About a dozen security guards, moving their flash lights, direct us to a roped off section on the dance floor of Tao next to a couple of apparently nude women in a bathtub full of water and rose petals.

James, now wearing sunglasses in the dark club, immediately stands up on the couch and folds his arms high on his chest and nods his head back up and down. He smiles as he looks at the dozens of people crowded on the dance floor. Noticing him, they stop dancing and snap pictures as the DJ screams out, "LeBron James in the building!" and plays LMFAO's "I'm in Miami."

Carter, LeBron's' childhood friend and manager, begins dancing around James like Puff Daddy in a Notorious B.I.G video. A giant red crown-shaped cake is brought over to James while go-go dancers dressed in skimpy red and black outfits raise four lettered placards that spell out, "KING." Carter grabs a bottle of Grey Goose and pours a quarter of it on the floor and raises it up before passing it off.

James' infamous one-hour special, "The Decision," was reportedly the brainchild of Carter, a 28-year-old who has never managed anyone outside of his friend James. This three-day party marathon in Vegas (which James is being paid six figures to host) is also Carter's idea.

Bottle after bottle of "Ace of Spades" champagne is delivered to the table by a waiter flying down from above the dance floor like some overgrown Peter Pan on a wire. One time he's dressed like a King, another time like Indiana Jones and another in an a replica of James' Number 6 Miami Heat jersey.

James, who can hardly see the flying figure through his tinted glasses, almost gets kicked in the head on the waiter's last trip down. He looks at the girls around him and says, "I wish they'd have one of these girls with no panties do that instead of the guy."

Towards the end of the night, Celtics center Glen Davis walks past James' party and looks at the scene up and down several times like a painting in a museum, soaking in the images of the go-go dancers, the "King" sign and the costumed man delivering bottles of champagne.

Davis shakes his head and walks on.

James dances on the couch and sings along with the music blaring from speakers all around him.

The more you hang around James, the more you realize he's still a child wrapped in a 6-foot-8, 250-pound frame. The night after the party at Tao, he and his crew walk through the casino at the Wynn and Encore and he pretends to dribble a basketball as he walks past ringing slot machines and tourists who do double-takes. In a Nike T-shirt, jeans and sneakers, James' pantomime seems unconscious. He stops every few feet to shoot a jump shot, his right hand extended above his head on the follow through. He weaves through a pack of a dozen friends and pretends to connect on a lay-up as he walks past a gift shop. He passes overhead casino signs and jumps up and slaps them, pretending to dunk. Columns covered with advertisements for lounge acts become stationary defenders, chumps to fake out before connecting on imaginary mid-range jump shots.

James probably goes through a practice's worth of shots as we walk from the XS nightclub at Encore (James left his poolside table when he saw the club was practically empty), through Wynn and over the bridge to the Pal***o.

Soon after arriving at Lavo, a restaurant and nightclub at the Pal***o, a scene straight out of West Side Story breaks out when James and Lamar Odom, seated at a nearby table, engage in an impromptu dance-off to California Swag District's "Teach Me How To Dougie."

Odom, smoking a cigar, can't quite keep up. James celebrates by crossing himself and taking a shot of Patron. Moments later, a handful of girls dressed as cheerleaders walk towards his table with someone dressed in James' Heat uniform. Someone throws talcum powder in the air as James does before every game, while his new unofficial song, "I'm in Miami" plays.

Odom casts a glance James' way before looking in the opposite direction and raising his glass at a couple on the dance floor who point to their ring fingers and smile.

Back at his table, James and his crew sing every word to Rick Ross' "Free Mason." LeBron raps every line to former teammate Damon Jones (who played with him in Cleveland) . Jones, puffing on a cigar, nods his head.

James rips out the lines:

"If I ever die, never let it be said I didn't win/
Never, never say/
Never say legend didn't go in/
I just wanna die on top of the world."

While he looks at club-goers flashing the LA and Westside signs at him, he smiles and points to Jackson's T-shirt which reads, "Another Enemy," and raises his glass of champagne.

Finally, Carter tells James it's time to leave the club and they do, LeBron pretending to cross-over tables and shoot over slot machines all the way back to his room.

is this it?

Disaprine

07-28-2010, 02:01 PM

http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2010/0727/la_g_lebronvegas2_400.jpg
:milton
:oldlol:

juju151111

07-28-2010, 02:03 PM

I am confused here. Why the **** can't a guy have a party??? seriously is this a joke?

jjayfive

07-28-2010, 02:03 PM

not surprising........ i've sat a table away from lebron in vegas at the TAO restaurant.. first impression is that he's a kid in a man's body... he has a large entourage...

Phong

07-28-2010, 02:05 PM

He's nice for reminding people how many rings he has.

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/4093/rszlebronjamesattao.jpg

bdreason

07-28-2010, 02:05 PM

Anyone who critiques LeBron while he's partying in a club needs to take a chill pill. The guy is celebrating his success, just let him be.

Batz

07-28-2010, 02:06 PM

He's nice for reminding people how many rings he has.

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/4093/rszlebronjamesattao.jpg
:roll:

Dolphin

07-28-2010, 02:09 PM

Am I the only one who looks down on those who constantly whine, let alone care about what a celeb does?

Suggestion: Stop writing articles that really serve no importance to society at all and try to become useful to said society in some manner or form.

...or you could all continue with your inferiority complexes....I hear chicks dig that. lol

It's really what the weak do. Cry about the alpha males instead of looking at their own pathetic existence. lol

ImmortalD24

07-28-2010, 02:11 PM

Just espn being espn.. they've been in the witness protection program for years.

http://i28.tinypic.com/2ug29nr.jpg

Hotbullets

07-28-2010, 02:14 PM

Who gives a flying phuk about what he does in his free-time... God, these journalists piss me off.

Funny thing is, I'm a journalist too. :')

Rasheed1

07-28-2010, 02:14 PM

bluechox

07-28-2010, 02:14 PM

ImmortalD24

07-28-2010, 02:17 PM

http://myespn.go.com/s/conversations/show/story/5416131/sort/oldest

The story you are looking for has been moved or does not exist.

ImmortalD24

07-28-2010, 02:19 PM

Here's the article.. it was posted on some message board before it was deleted:

LeBron James leans against a waist-high stone wall with a 16-foot-tall Buddha hovering over him.

He's at Tao, a bustling restaurant and nightclub inside the Venetian hotel and his arms are crossed as he listens to Lynn Meritt, Senior Director of Nike Basketball, and Charles Denson, President of Nike Brand talk.

James is quiet, occasionally applying Chap Stick on his lips and nodding his head when he hears something he likes.

Five security guards are stationed around him, one at each corner of the table he's about to sit at and another roving around with him, watching his every move. Anyone who takes two steps towards him is stopped and must have James' approval to come further.

The waiter bringing him his cup of green tea with a spoonful of honey and a dash of lemon juice makes the cut, as does the scantily clad brunette with a tattoo of a heart on her right shoulder.

She wants to take a picture with him. "I can't right now," says James. "Maybe later, upstairs, I'll remember you're the one with the tattoo."

James will host a party later in the upstairs nightclub at Tao, but he is currently hosting a dinner for his friends and family in the downstairs restaurant. Wearing a grey striped shirt and gold crucifix around his neck, he bobs his head to music played by an amped-up saxophonist who weaves his way around the table like a one-man mariachi band.

I have somehow found myself at this exclusive table, seated beside Eddie Jackson, who is introduced to me as James' father (though he actually began dating James' mother, Gloria, after LeBron was born and the two are no longer together). Jackson, wearing a muscle shirt accentuating his large biceps, looks like a member of James' four-man entourage, like one of his childhood friends.

James' circle includes Randy Mims, seated to his right at the center of the table, Maverick Carter, seated at the head of the table, and Richard Paul, seated in front of James. The quartet makes up the initials behind LRMR Marketing, the management firm James founded almost four years ago with his buddies. Their offices in downtown Cleveland gained notoriety earlier this month as the location teams flocked to for their meetings with James.

Seated to the right of James is Chris Paul, whose brother, C.J., is seated across from him. The New Orleans Hornets point guard reportedly has seen how James has positioned himself to win a championship by signing with the Miami Heat and joining forces with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, and has reportedly considered a similar move himself.

The truth is, in James' dream world, the duo he would love to play with for the next decade would be Wade and Paul, his two closest friends in the NBA. Paul has been like a brother to James since the two were in Las Vegas four years ago for USA Basketball training camp, when as a rookie he carried James' and Wade's bags to and from the team bus.

James and Paul are fairly quiet at the center of the table as they take in the scene around them. As family style plates of miso-glazed Chilean sea bass and crispy lobster and shrimp dumplings are brought to the table, James effortlessly picks up the food with his chopsticks and occasionally raises his cup of green tea to passersby as they raise their martinis and mojitos in his direction before being helped along by security guards.

When trays of desert plates are brought over, James gets up, preferring to start his party upstairs instead of indulging in the giant fortune cookies and chocolate cake. A security guard comes over and puts plastic wristbands on our wrists and escorts us through the back of the restaurant, up a flight of stairs in the bowels of the hotel and through a back entrance into the club. About a dozen security guards, moving their flash lights, direct us to a roped off section on the dance floor of Tao next to a couple of apparently nude women in a bathtub full of water and rose petals.

James, now wearing sunglasses in the dark club, immediately stands up on the couch and folds his arms high on his chest and nods his head back up and down. He smiles as he looks at the dozens of people crowded on the dance floor. Noticing him, they stop dancing and snap pictures as the DJ screams out, "LeBron James in the building!" and plays LMFAO's "I'm in Miami."

Carter, LeBron's' childhood friend and manager, begins dancing around James like Puff Daddy in a Notorious B.I.G video. A giant red crown-shaped cake is brought over to James while go-go dancers dressed in skimpy red and black outfits raise four lettered placards that spell out, "KING." Carter grabs a bottle of Grey Goose and pours a quarter of it on the floor and raises it up before passing it off.

James' infamous one-hour special, "The Decision," was reportedly the brainchild of Carter, a 28-year-old who has never managed anyone outside of his friend James. This three-day party marathon in Vegas (which James is being paid six figures to host) is also Carter's idea.

Bottle after bottle of "Ace of Spades" champagne is delivered to the table by a waiter flying down from above the dance floor like some overgrown Peter Pan on a wire. One time he's dressed like a King, another time like Indiana Jones and another in an a replica of James' Number 6 Miami Heat jersey.

James, who can hardly see the flying figure through his tinted glasses, almost gets kicked in the head on the waiter's last trip down. He looks at the girls around him and says, "I wish they'd have one of these girls with no panties do that instead of the guy."

Towards the end of the night, Celtics center Glen Davis walks past James' party and looks at the scene up and down several times like a painting in a museum, soaking in the images of the go-go dancers, the "King" sign and the costumed man delivering bottles of champagne.

Davis shakes his head and walks on.

James dances on the couch and sings along with the music blaring from speakers all around him.

The more you hang around James, the more you realize he's still a child wrapped in a 6-foot-8, 250-pound frame. The night after the party at Tao, he and his crew walk through the casino at the Wynn and Encore and he pretends to dribble a basketball as he walks past ringing slot machines and tourists who do double-takes. In a Nike T-shirt, jeans and sneakers, James' pantomime seems unconscious. He stops every few feet to shoot a jump shot, his right hand extended above his head on the follow through. He weaves through a pack of a dozen friends and pretends to connect on a lay-up as he walks past a gift shop. He passes overhead casino signs and jumps up and slaps them, pretending to dunk. Columns covered with advertisements for lounge acts become stationary defenders, chumps to fake out before connecting on imaginary mid-range jump shots.

James probably goes through a practice's worth of shots as we walk from the XS nightclub at Encore (James left his poolside table when he saw the club was practically empty), through Wynn and over the bridge to the Pal***o.

Soon after arriving at Lavo, a restaurant and nightclub at the Pal***o, a scene straight out of West Side Story breaks out when James and Lamar Odom, seated at a nearby table, engage in an impromptu dance-off to California Swag District's "Teach Me How To Dougie."

Odom, smoking a cigar, can't quite keep up. James celebrates by crossing himself and taking a shot of Patron. Moments later, a handful of girls dressed as cheerleaders walk towards his table with someone dressed in James' Heat uniform. Someone throws talcum powder in the air as James does before every game, while his new unofficial song, "I'm in Miami" plays.

Odom casts a glance James' way before looking in the opposite direction and raising his glass at a couple on the dance floor who point to their ring fingers and smile.

Back at his table, James and his crew sing every word to Rick Ross' "Free Mason." LeBron raps every line to former teammate Damon Jones (who played with him in Cleveland) . Jones, puffing on a cigar, nods his head.

James rips out the lines:

"If I ever die, never let it be said I didn't win/
Never, never say/
Never say legend didn't go in/
I just wanna die on top of the world."

While he looks at club-goers flashing the LA and Westside signs at him, he smiles and points to Jackson's T-shirt which reads, "Another Enemy," and raises his glass of champagne.

Finally, Carter tells James it's time to leave the club and they do, LeBron pretending to cross-over tables and shoot over slot machines all the way back to his room.

gts

07-28-2010, 02:19 PM

Just espn being espn.. they've been in the witness protection program for years.

http://i28.tinypic.com/2ug29nr.jpg
hahaha

Indian guy

07-28-2010, 02:20 PM

Kobe fans mad :oldlol:. They probably jerk off to these articles.

boozehound

07-28-2010, 02:22 PM

Haymaker

07-28-2010, 02:23 PM

ESPN is turning into TMZ :facepalm GTFOH

EarlTheGoat

07-28-2010, 02:23 PM

He's nice for reminding people how many rings he has.

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/4093/rszlebronjamesattao.jpg

:roll: :roll:

:applause:

Vancouver-Grizz

07-28-2010, 02:24 PM

Absolutley nothing wrong with that. He did nothing wrong....When we were 25, we all partied like that. Shows LeBron as a human being.

If he was drunk and snortin coke off a hoes ass....That is a completely different situation.

But from the sound of what has happend in this offseason, LeBron really needs to look in to if his friend Maverick if he is really helping him improve his career or leeching off of him every possible way.

Maverick kinda reminds me of Turtle from Entourage who always tried to book Vince at certain night clubs so he gets the spending money and a opportunity to get laid by using LBJ's name.

jbot

07-28-2010, 02:33 PM

i'd give the article a big, fat "Meh". everyone knows he's a bit childish but who cares really?

OhNoTimNoSho

07-28-2010, 02:36 PM

I don't see anything negative about any of the things Lebron did, the article just tries to lead you in a certain direction and that is Anti-lebron. Honestly its lame, its not an objective article, its a piece of trash catering to espn watchers and readers who are already anti-lebron. Written by a media troll, and all you just got trolled.

LAClipsFan33

07-28-2010, 02:40 PM

The main thing they diss him for is the whole situation with the waiter in the costumes and the chicks dressed as Heat cheerleaders, the king signs, and all that. I'm wondering if for even one second did the writer of the article stop to think that maybe the club set all that up and not Lebron. Just a thought.

BlazersDozen

07-28-2010, 02:40 PM

Don't we all do this kind of shit on a smaller scale when we're 25 and under?

KoRn

07-28-2010, 02:41 PM

boozehound

07-28-2010, 02:42 PM

while I agree the article is pretty lame, the fact that they posted it and then pulled it (instead of never publishing it in the first place) tells you something.

KB2009Champ

07-28-2010, 02:44 PM

i dont know why ya'll are defnding bron in this thread. we all know there is nothing bad in the article. the question is why lebron had it pulled. what problem does he have with the article. thats the question.

bagelred

07-28-2010, 02:44 PM

http://thesportshernia.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451b84f69e201310f507173970c-580wi

DKLaker

07-28-2010, 02:44 PM

what a little bitc h...this is how athletes become broke...they have bitc.hy little friends do all the thinking and handles all the cash...lebron shud have went to college and learn sumthing atleast. at this rate he'll be broke as hell and regret taking less money...keep in mind this was only 1 weekend with 6figures spent...how many more weekends does it take to become broke

Exactly :applause: Hell, if Mike Tyson could blow through 300 million, surely this idiot will blow through his money.

ESPN has no credibility now, they are too busy trying to fabricate and cover up instead of reporting news. Their Spin Doctors are working overtime.

jbot

07-28-2010, 02:46 PM

http://thesportshernia.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451b84f69e201310f507173970c-580wi
this pic sums him up.

if he merely picks and flicks, he's a standard adult. if he eats it, he's the childish prick everyone is saying he is.

gts

07-28-2010, 03:20 PM

while I agree the article is pretty lame, the fact that they posted it and then pulled it (instead of never publishing it in the first place) tells you something.
i think that's what is getting lost in the discussion here

it doesn't matter what you think of the original articles theme, the fact that it was pulled by ESPN is the story....

barbaroi

07-28-2010, 03:24 PM

They literally will not allow a story bashing Lebron to run on their site... Hell it didn't even bash him, just told about how he spent a night out

BlazersDozen

07-28-2010, 03:32 PM

Who said that LeBron or his camp removed it and not just ESPN honchos?

R.I.P.

07-28-2010, 03:38 PM

Just espn being espn.. they've been in the witness protection program for years.

http://i28.tinypic.com/2ug29nr.jpg

Exactly. You

AMISTILLILL

07-28-2010, 03:40 PM

not surprising........ i've sat a table away from lebron in vegas at the TAO restaurant.. first impression is that he's a kid in a man's body... he has a large entourage...

DID HE GIVE YOU A HEAD NOD?!?

JM720

07-28-2010, 03:42 PM

lol NBC sports has a report now... reporting on ESPN pulling the story.

kauaihawaii

07-28-2010, 03:43 PM

Who said that LeBron or his camp removed it and not just ESPN honchos?
Exactly.
They probably pulled it after realizing how stupid the article was. The article certainly wasn't damaging.
The whole situation is embarrassing. The fact they had to cover their asses, because they let a professional journalist write a trivial article that any hater could, just shows how much news has changed.

gts

07-28-2010, 03:49 PM

lol NBC sports has a report now... reporting on ESPN pulling the story.yep, the story is gathering momentum...

http://outofbounds.nbcsports.com/2010/07/-espn-mysteriously-pulls.html.php

DropStep

07-28-2010, 03:53 PM

I cant wait for the Lebron farts smell bad article.

nevetslc88

07-28-2010, 03:57 PM

http://www.terezowens.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/ESPN-LeBron-Story.jpg

boozehound

07-28-2010, 03:58 PM

Exactly.
They probably pulled it after realizing how stupid the article was. The article certainly wasn't damaging.
The whole situation is embarrassing. The fact they had to cover their asses, because they let a professional journalist write a trivial article that any hater could, just shows how much news has changed.
well, any hater with exclusive access to his party/dinner.

but, why did they not realize how stupid it was before they published it? Im sure at least one editor and assnt editor read it before publishing it.

bagelred

07-28-2010, 04:01 PM

Send Arash a tweet and tell him you think its BS:

http://twitter.com/ArashMarkazi

Jordan-esque

07-28-2010, 04:06 PM

ESPN now doing some Damage Control:
http://www.twitlonger.com/show/2q0927

ESPN spokesman Josh Krulewitz tells us why the LeBron Vegas story was pulled:

"The story should have never been published. The draft was inadvertently put on the server before going through the usual editorial process. We are in the midst of looking into the matter.”

Other writers calling BS on ESPN's "cover-up":

Kelly Dwyer (who wrote for ESPN/SI/Yahoo) from "Balls Don't Lie" Column had this to say:

BS. ESPN just lied to us. RE: Arash

So basically, ESPN's own excuse made them look even WORSE. Because apparently anyone can just turn in a DRAFT, yes that's right, a simple DRAFT and have it published globally on ESPN.com before going through the "editorial process".

So professional ESPN, very professional.

ESPN = EPIC fail.

Rambis

07-28-2010, 04:12 PM

Well, hating on LeBron is becoming a popular story in many places. It's just one of the by-products of the dumb a$$ way he handled things and the way he chicken shi$$ed out by joining DWade's team.

Here's another example... that's more clear. "No choice but to hate the Heat."

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/more/07/20/heat.feature/index.html?eref=sircrc

I'd say Kobe would just be in the gym practicing his newest improvement in his game, but I know he's in China at the moment selling billions of jerseys that James never will match. Kobe messed up with the rape thing (though I think that was all trumped up B.S.), but LeBron may have done worse -- if DWade hits all the GW jumpers in the championships Bron-Bron just cost himself megamillions (and he WILL be PISSED about it).

heyhey

07-28-2010, 04:17 PM

Lebron is the perfect example why as soon as you get rich and succesful you need to dump your ghetto ass homies from da hood and get some real professionals to manage your career and portfolio.

At this rate Lebron's going to be doing Burger King Commercial dressed in the King costume cause his friends will have wasted all his money.

SMH

another poor uneducated black becomes the victim of his upbringing.

niko

07-28-2010, 04:22 PM

bagelred

07-28-2010, 04:27 PM

Samurai Swoosh

07-28-2010, 04:38 PM

The CoverUp is always worse than the "crime". As soon as the story is out there, just leave it there. Now there'll be all this press about ESPN censoring stories.....10X more press than if simply left an innocuous article on the site.......
Yup.

It wasn't even a bad article.

Just goes to show how big of a douche this guy is ... they kept it quite under wraps in Cleveland for the past 7 years.

:oldlol:

This guy won't let people approach him at a club.

But in LA at a resteraunt in 2003, 3 time NBA champion and world known superstar Kobe Bryant, was asked by my cousins friend directly to come over and wish her happy birthday ... and he gladly oblidged without censoring people from coming his way or having to complete an application in order to converse with him.

NuggetsFan

07-28-2010, 04:44 PM

Samurai Swoosh

07-28-2010, 04:45 PM

It's always gotta be about Kobe :facepalm
Lately, sure ... he's the only thing relevant to me (5 rings, going for 6) besides LeBron James / Dwyane Wade / Chris Bosh villainy and douch baggery ... only things to talk about in this off season.

Thank God for FIBA in a few weeks.

BlazersDozen

07-28-2010, 04:48 PM

Yup.

It wasn't even a bad article.

Just goes to show how big of a douche this guy is ... they kept it quite under wraps in Cleveland for the past 7 years.

:oldlol:

This guy won't let people approach him at a club.

But in LA at a resteraunt in 2003, 3 time NBA champion and world known superstar Kobe Bryant, was asked by my cousins friend directly to come over and wish her happy birthday ... and he gladly oblidged without censoring people from coming his way or having to complete an application in order to converse with him.

Maybe LeBron knows there are crazy Laker fans who want to stab him in his face. I think that garners enough to roll with security don't you? :confusedshrug:

On the other hand Greg Oden walks alone in Washington Square (mall in Oregon) cuz he knows that no Blazer fan will get within 10 feet of him in fear of injuring him.

Dolphin

07-28-2010, 04:51 PM

It's ONE article on SI. There are other pro Lebron articles too. Are you suggesting having ONE article being anti Lebron meants there is an ANTI lebron bias?

One article doesn't suggest anything.

However, are you willing to contend there isn't an anti-Lebron bias right now in the journalist community?

Samurai Swoosh

07-28-2010, 04:52 PM

Maybe LeBron knows there are crazy Laker fans who want to stab him in his face. I think that garners enough to roll with security don't you? :confusedshrug:
He's always rolled like this ... only people he needs to worry about stabbing him is disgruntled Clevelanders.

niko

07-28-2010, 04:55 PM

One article doesn't suggest anything.

However, are you willing to contend there isn't an anti-Lebron bias right now in the journalist community?

Not on SI based on that article, no. READ the article. It's a pretty normal viewpoint a normal non miami/lebron fan will have. Do people understand Lebron will not be rooted for as much as before? That's not bias, that's reality.

Rambis

07-28-2010, 04:57 PM

It's ONE article on SI. There are other pro Lebron articles too. Are you suggesting having ONE article being anti Lebron meants there is an ANTI lebron bias?

That's disingenuous. Your statement completely ignores the FLOOD of responses, none really positive to LeBron's move. I have read almost daily negative takes on LeBron's move to Miami, from Barkley's interview, to MJ's, to several journalists as well. No one likes the move -- except Bron hypers and Miami fans for reasons all know but I'll list a few, since I'm sure you'll require evidence. Here's the argument:

-Someone who names himself the King should not go to someone else's team to win a championship.

-You don't join someone who is on your level, you beat them to PROVE your greatness.

-Given his natural abilities, he misses the chance to surpass Jordan and shows he lacks that which made Jordan great.

-We as fans will never see LeBron's best because he will never have to push himself with those guys around.

-No team has ever really been so much better than the teams around him/no team has ever had the top two or two of the top three players in basketball at one time. It's inherently uncompetitive. [And for those against this argument, say using Kareem/Magic as a comparison, it was the pre-cap era, look at the teams they had to face -- the Celtics were loaded in an equal fashion. The Lakers don't approach that level, what gives them a shot is cohesiveness as a team.]

-Overall, as the Nets owner stated, he has limited his own brand, his appeal to people, at this point, and potentially negated it forever if Miami continues to be seen as DWade's team. DWade has even been DEFENDING LeBron from the get-go, showing exactly whose team it is.

So are you just limited, or trolling?

Point is, the response to LeBron is overwhelmingly negative atm. IF he does win several titles (as a few articles on SI and ESPN suggest) THEN he can negate the negative press and re-establish his legacy. BUT, atm, mostly he is just receiving swampfuls of hate.

Dolphin

07-28-2010, 05:06 PM

Not on SI based on that article, no. READ the article. It's a pretty normal viewpoint a normal non miami/lebron fan will have. Do people understand Lebron will not be rooted for as much as before? That's not bias, that's reality.

I read that article this morning. I never touched on that article specifically in my post.

I like Kobe more than Lebron. I am not a Heat Fan. And ya, I think most people will have a biased opinion of Lebron now that will allow them to stray from reality many times over this season....and ya, I think the hate he's garnering, and the Heat in general, is quite pathetic. Just my opinion.

I guess you're right, it is normal because the majority will feel that way. The norm is quite pathetic in this case.

barbaroi

07-28-2010, 05:22 PM

Yahoo's running with the story too now http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/LeBron-James-Vegas-vacation-was-very-LeBron-Jam;_ylt=Aqk5OMAOtWpqBh2uCwcb7jm8vLYF?urn=nba-258818

dynasty1978

07-28-2010, 05:34 PM

I have no problem with Bron's antics, he's a child and has proven such.

The problem is with ESPN pulling the story a la Bron pulling the jordan crawford footage....it's pointless and wreaks of unnecessary damage control

gts

07-28-2010, 05:54 PM

Soundtrack: ESPN's Coverage Fit for a King
By Ben Collins

[QUOTE]Last night, ESPN reporter Arash Markazi posted a very lurid, detailed account of a night out with LeBron James on ESPN.com, replete with naked nightclub biddies, lots of alcohol, and Big Baby Davis walking by in disgust.

That's not the story.

The story is that ESPN pulled the whole post immediately. Now, as alternative sports media like Deadspin.com and Twitter are abuzz with this story, ESPN and all of its columnists and writers on Twitter are conspicuously silent.

Mind you, Markazi is a very reputable journalist, who has broken stories about USC recruiting violations, covered a few Stanley Cups, and profiled everyone from Wayne Gretzky to Ron Artest to Vince McMahon for Sports Illustrated. It

kentatm

07-28-2010, 05:55 PM

What happens in Vegas...

jrong

07-28-2010, 05:59 PM

LeBron is on his way to becoming my favorite human of all time, and I don't even really like him. But, his progressing self-immolation is just too awesome for words.

raptorfan_dr07

07-28-2010, 08:28 PM

Kobe fans mad :oldlol:. They probably jerk off to these articles.

The big thing that everyone's missing is this guy Arash Markazi is a part of ESPN LOS ANGELES, yes that's right, LOS ANGELES. He is a Laker n*trider and just as bad as most of them here on ISH. Only difference is he gets paid to spew his garbage. I can see why ESPN pulled the article. It's a bunch of trash and has nothing to do with basketball. Just another punk Laker moron.

Indian guy

07-28-2010, 08:35 PM

The big thing that everyone's missing is this guy Arash Markazi is a part of ESPN LOS ANGELES, yes that's right, LOS ANGELES. He is a Laker n*trider and just as bad as most of them here on ISH. Only difference is he gets paid to spew his garbage. I can see why ESPN pulled the article. It's a bunch of trash and has nothing to do with basketball. Just another punk Laker moron.

Oh yeah, I'm well aware of Markazi. He was on CNN before moving to ESPN, and I don't recall him ever writing anything that didn't ride Kobe or LA's d!ck in some fashion.

SEEBASS1234

07-28-2010, 08:36 PM

Shax

07-28-2010, 08:38 PM

He's always rolled like this ... only people he needs to worry about stabbing him is disgruntled Clevelanders.

I think you're underestimating all the crazy ass jealous people out there.

ReturnofJPR

07-28-2010, 08:40 PM

Is this a shock to anyone? ESPN backs LeBron to the fullest. They are the network that aired "The Decision." If you want real news about LeBron, check out Yahoo! Sports and Adrian Wojnarowski.

branslowski

07-28-2010, 08:45 PM

lol@ LeBron nut riders always madd at Kobe fans...:roll: :roll: :roll:

Your boy is getting killed by everyone....Jordan, Magic, Bird, Barkley exc....Not just Kobe fans...STFU, deal with it and stop using Kobe fans as your punkass outlet...Sit down you f*cking pusse's.:pimp:

gts

07-28-2010, 09:25 PM

write this about a normal, everyday human being and the author is considered a stalker. but since it is Lebron it's ok to write down his every move and every word that is uttered out of his mouth.

kind of creepy to me
err he's a reporter covering an event, an event he was covering for ESPN and was expensed by ESPN to cover, an event james was paid 6 fugures to host, an event with security who made sure everyone was credentialed...

this is not some stalker, it's a reporter doing his job.. he did it, and some people were obviously not happy about it....lol

dynasty1978

07-28-2010, 09:37 PM

err he's a reporter covering an event, an event he was covering for ESPN and was expensed by ESPN to cover, an event james was paid 6 fugures to host, an event with security who made sure everyone was credentialed...

this is not some stalker, it's a reporter doing his job.. he did it, and some people were obviously not happy about it....lol

Markazi is actually a DC native and is a wizards fan (know this through mutual friends), but hey the Bron cult has him grouped him with the other "haters" aka the rest of america.

wang4three

07-28-2010, 09:39 PM

So basically, LeBron parties like Vincent Chase.

kumquat

07-28-2010, 10:11 PM

Lebron's parties sound pretty lame.

SinJackal

07-28-2010, 10:56 PM

is this it?

Jesus christ. LeBron is now officially the second sports player ever that I would laugh at if he got injured. The first was Floyd Mayweather (during a fight).

This guy is a huge douche with a massive ego. I can't wait for the flood of photoshopped "hah ha!" pictures of that fat bully kid from Simpsons pointing at the sad look on LeBron's face when the Heat get knocked out of the playoffs next year.

5rings

07-28-2010, 10:57 PM

It's such a shame that Lebron has all these bums hanging with him. He's like the modern day Mike Tyson.

godofgods

07-28-2010, 11:03 PM

But in LA at a resteraunt in 2003, 3 time NBA champion and world known superstar Kobe Bryant, was asked by my cousins friend directly to come over and wish her happy birthday ... and he gladly oblidged without censoring people from coming his way or having to complete an application in order to converse with him.

That girl was gonna get raped.

lacasner

07-28-2010, 11:05 PM

Jesus christ. LeBron is now officially the second sports player ever that I would laugh at if he got injured. The first was Floyd Mayweather (during a fight).

This guy is a huge douche with a massive ego. I can't wait for the flood of photoshopped "hah ha!" pictures of that fat bully kid from Simpsons pointing at the sad look on LeBron's face when the Heat get knocked out of the playoffs next year.

That's kind of pathetic.

godofgods

07-28-2010, 11:07 PM

The big thing that everyone's missing is this guy Arash Markazi is a part of ESPN LOS ANGELES, yes that's right, LOS ANGELES. He is a Laker n*trider and just as bad as most of them here on ISH. Only difference is he gets paid to spew his garbage. I can see why ESPN pulled the article. It's a bunch of trash and has nothing to do with basketball. Just another punk Laker moron.

He is not as bad as Adande. Now that clown should be banned from writing.

DKLaker

07-29-2010, 12:29 AM

Yup.

It wasn't even a bad article.

Just goes to show how big of a douche this guy is ... they kept it quite under wraps in Cleveland for the past 7 years.

:oldlol:

This guy won't let people approach him at a club.

But in LA at a resteraunt in 2003, 3 time NBA champion and world known superstar Kobe Bryant, was asked by my cousins friend directly to come over and wish her happy birthday ... and he gladly oblidged without censoring people from coming his way or having to complete an application in order to converse with him.

Isn't amazing how good Lefraud is making Kobe look :applause:

When Lefraud pulled "The Decision" show out of his Azz ESPN radio hammered him for like 3 days and then all of the sudden everyone flipped direction and started defending him and are still defending the Jerk. Obviously the "Suits" that run the station feel they need him to be their cash cow and Stern wants to save "The Face of the League" what a bunch of phonies.

SinJackal

07-29-2010, 12:33 AM

That's kind of pathetic.

Almost as pathetic as you being upset over how someone else feels.

Soundwave

07-29-2010, 01:03 AM

Dude had a party. Big whoop.

Movie stars and singers and athletes do this kind of thing all the time. At least athletes earn their dime based on raw performance and not on their looks or marketing gimmicks, lol.

Young Shaq was far more indulgent in stuff like this.

john_d

07-29-2010, 01:04 AM

most awesome part is wer lebron won a dance off with odom and then odom points his to his ring fingers bahahahaha.. owned

XxSMSxX

07-29-2010, 02:43 AM

:roll: :roll: :roll: @ this topic

KoRn

07-29-2010, 02:50 AM

He is not as bad as Adande. Now that clown should be banned from writing.

and you should be ban for your outlandish statements. you make pb look normal.

monkeypox

07-29-2010, 04:10 AM

People are missing the point. This article actually isn't that bad. It's just a description of what happened that night from the perspective of one of the ESPN writers. There's very little opinion in the piece outside of the comments about LeBron being childish. If you think the article is making him look like a douche, and really all this stuff happened, then likely it's just LeBron making himself look like a douche.

The issue is that it was pulled. If it really was pulled because LeBron's people asked it to be pulled, then that makes ESPN look really bad. But for all we know the article was pulled because the writer plagiarized part of it, or was discovered to have not attended the party. The insinuation is that LeBron's people pulled it, and that would be a poor reflection on LeBron and his people. ESPN's position was that it was pulled because it didn't pass through editorial checks and wasn't up to standards. Reading it, it's actually not all that bad, so something seems fishy here. Hence the controversy.

It's like the the whole dunk thing. People talking about how it's not a big deal for LeBron to get dunked on are being extremely short sighted and missing what the possible controversy is.

People complaining about the content of the piece need to really think about it. ESPN does these types of POV slice of life type articles all the time. When was the last time someone posted a first person account of a party with LeBron on Media Take Out that didn't sound like it was posted via text? Point to me a single TMZ article that comes even close to something like this. Be real, this is the exact type of stuff sports writers write about in big publications. Read a newspaper some time for cripes sakes.

bagelred

07-29-2010, 03:46 PM

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2010/07/lebron-james-espncom-removed-story/1

ESPN.com editor in chief Rob King told CNBC.com'sDarren Rovell that:

"ESPN.com will not be posting the story in any form. We looked into the situation thoroughly and found that Arash did not properly identify himself as a reporter or clearly state his intentions to write a story. As a result, we are not comfortable with the content, even in an edited version, because of the manner in which the story was reported. :wtf: We've been discussing the situation with Arash and he completely understands. To be clear, the decisions to pull the prematurely published story and then not to run it were made completely by ESPN editorial staff without influence from any outside party.":lol

Said Markazi:

"I have been in conversations with ESPN.com's editors and, upon their complete review, understand their decision not to run the story. It is important to note that I stand by the accuracy of the story in its entirety, :rockon: but should have been clearer in representing my intent to write about the events I observed."

Great spin by the ESPN spin machine.

Here's screenshot of the original article. Zoom in: http://www.terezowens.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/ESPN-LeBron-Story.jpg

Rowe

07-29-2010, 03:47 PM

I just saw that story, and LeBron is living like 2Pac.

Ketchup

07-29-2010, 03:48 PM

The article was flat out garbage to begin with.

Am I the only one to recognize that?

They should have just said that and crushed that dude.

SourGrapes

07-29-2010, 03:49 PM

The article was flat out garbage to begin with.

Am I the only one to recognize that?

They should have just said that and crushed that dude.

in what way was it garbage?

lacasner

07-29-2010, 03:51 PM

in what way was it garbage?

It has no relevance with absolutely anything sports-wise. The reporter came off as a stalker.

heyhey

07-29-2010, 03:51 PM

The article was flat out garbage to begin with.

Am I the only one to recognize that?

They should have just said that and crushed that dude.

:roll: at this hurt Lebron fan hating on an article cause it revealed the truth that Lebron is a 280 pound ghetto ass Peta Pan partying it up with his fairy homies and not working on his post game.

It has no relevance with absolutely anything sports-wise. The reporter came off as a stalker.

It's called a PROFILE. Something that's done quite often in journalism.

SourGrapes

07-29-2010, 03:58 PM

It has no relevance with absolutely anything sports-wise. The reporter came off as a stalker.

lebron is an athlete right? lamar odom was there right? lebron's high school friend/ business partners were there right? that isn't relevant?

stop cherry picking and be honest with yourself

offthedribble

07-29-2010, 04:00 PM

Pretty funny that by pulling the story, it got them A LOTTTT more hype and views than if they would have just kept it up. Twitter and other websites ran crazy with that story..

boozehound

07-29-2010, 04:00 PM

The article was flat out garbage to begin with.

Am I the only one to recognize that?

They should have just said that and crushed that dude.
sure, but why did it get published in the first place. The idea that it was inadvertently published before the editorial process does not fly. Im fine with them not publishing it, particularly since he wasnt upfront in the first place. but they did publish it. until james' team called them and was incensed that they had a reporter who hadnt identified himself as such in the event.

lacasner

07-29-2010, 04:02 PM

lebron is an athlete right? lamar odom was there right? lebron's high school friend/ business partners were there right? that isn't relevant?

stop cherry picking and be honest with yourself

It's relevant merely for the fact that the public has a demand for it. In this day and age, that is sufficient justification to get things printed as "news".

bagelred

07-29-2010, 04:03 PM

It's ironic, because this story is one in which ESPN would be talking about over and over and over again on their plethora of media outlets.....except.....ESPN IS the story, hence, we won't hear a peep about it. :lol :facepalm Can you imagine if it was SI or Fox Sports? ESPN would never let it go.

Ketchup

07-29-2010, 04:05 PM

:roll: at this hurt Lebron fan hating on an article cause it revealed the truth that Lebron is a 280 pound ghetto ass Peta Pan partying it up with his fairy homies and not working on his post game.

So automatically, I'm a Lebron fan? Orly?

Be intelligent for once. The whole article bashed him for acting childish because of the way he partied. What was wrong with that? The fact that who planned was never confirmed. Lets not forget the fact that wherever he was paid for him to party there.

boozehound

07-29-2010, 04:07 PM

SourGrapes

07-29-2010, 04:08 PM

It's relevant merely for the fact that the public has a demand for it. In this day and age, that is sufficient justification to get things printed as "news".

that doesn't mean that it's garbage. it means it deals with popular subject matter

boozehound

07-29-2010, 04:08 PM

It's relevant merely for the fact that the public has a demand for it. In this day and age, that is sufficient justification to get things printed as "news".
since when is espn a news organization? whats that E stand for again? They publish dumb schlocky stuff all the time.

lacasner

07-29-2010, 04:10 PM

since when is espn a news organization? whats that E stand for again? They publish dumb schlocky stuff all the time.

I think they clearly advertise themselves as such, despite what the E in the espn acronym stands for.

Although, obviously, they are not one.

Ketchup

07-29-2010, 04:10 PM

well, you are obviously a heat fan or a bandwagoneer.
What?

I'm not saying he's not childish, frankly, I dont think that shit matters. Hell, if I had people following me around the place like Lebron, I'm sure that I would be looked at with hate and scorn.

barbaroi

07-29-2010, 04:18 PM

:oldlol: The reason for pulling it is pretty much BS. If Maverick Carter invites along a reporter from ESPN for publicity, they pretty well know he's going to write a piece on what he sees. The fact is, ESPN didn't like the content negatively portraying one of their cash cows, so they pulled it. The funny thing is everybody still knows what the article said AND they have negative publicity for pulling it now.

LA_Showtime

07-29-2010, 04:27 PM

What article are they talking about? Link? Thanks in advance.

boozehound

07-29-2010, 04:35 PM

What article are they talking about? Link? Thanks in advance.
it was taken down like an hour after they published it. basically, this reporter followed lebron around LV and painted a slightly unflattering picture of him as a self-absorbed child.

boozehound

07-29-2010, 04:38 PM

What?

I'm not saying he's not childish, frankly, I dont think that shit matters. Hell, if I had people following me around the place like Lebron, I'm sure that I would be looked at with hate and scorn.
well, I only see you in heat threads (granted Ive only seen you in 2 threads, but still its a good % of your 90 posts), so that leads me to conclude that you are either a) a fan of said team or b) a bandwagoneer. Post date is a while ago, but clearly you havent been very active before now. which reinforces the potential for bandwagoneer (only started posting after the big three) or possibly a sock account. Based on your posts, probably a heat fan though.

LA_Showtime

07-29-2010, 04:41 PM

it was taken down like an hour after they published it. basically, this reporter followed lebron around LV and painted a slightly unflattering picture of him as a self-absorbed child.

Why is that surprising? That's how most NBA athletes are, and most of them weren't exposed to ESPN The Magazine at age 16 (or 17?).

bdreason

07-29-2010, 04:42 PM

It was a gossip column with an obvious agenda. More suited for TMZ than ESPN.

And I don't even like LeBron, so don't pull the LeBron-homer card on me.

boozehound

07-29-2010, 04:43 PM

Why is that surprising? That's how most NBA athletes are, and most of them weren't exposed to ESPN The Magazine at age 16 (or 17?).
yeah, its not. as others have said, it wasnt a very good article, but it also wasnt as negative about him as other believe. he does sound like a doofus with terrible taste however.

LA_Showtime

07-29-2010, 04:44 PM

yeah, its not. as others have said, it wasnt a very good article, but it also wasnt as negative about him as other believe. he does sound like a doofus with terrible taste however.

It's hard to tell if James is an arrogant asshole or is just surrounded by the wrong people. I guess we'll know eventually.

KoRn

07-29-2010, 04:52 PM

once the article was out. leave it alone. it wasn't that negative to begin with. the cover up is always worse. the story would have died in a day or 2. now you have nbc sports making fun of espn for trying to protect lebron's image.

SinJackal

07-29-2010, 05:29 PM

I don't really get it, why would he have to indentify himself if he's just observing a public place? That makes absolutely no sense. Why so LeBron can stop acting like a fool because a reporter's around? -_- That defeats the purpose of the article, doesn't it?

The article was flat out garbage to begin with.

Am I the only one to recognize that?

They should have just said that and crushed that dude.

Actually, it's already been said they stand by the accuracy of the story 100%. Not garbage at all.

It has no relevance with absolutely anything sports-wise. The reporter came off as a stalker.

LeBron's an athlete, the reporter was reporting what he saw the athlete doing. Stalker? Relax kid, and grow up.

It was a gossip column with an obvious agenda. More suited for TMZ than ESPN.

And I don't even like LeBron, so don't pull the LeBron-homer card on me.

ESPN basically became TMZ with their LeBron coverage during free agenecy week. This is no different and not surprising. They probably just pre-emptively removed it before getting into trouble with the NBA.

jasonresno

07-29-2010, 05:34 PM

I lol'd at the Glen Davis cameo.

bagelred

07-29-2010, 05:44 PM

I lol'd at the Glen Davis cameo.

:lol Same here. Like a scene out of movie. Walks by, takes a look, shakes head, and keeps walking.

Kujo

07-29-2010, 05:53 PM

A somewhat surreal read. Can't say I'm surprised by any of it. Further evidence that Lebron is immature.

Pretty pathetic for ESPN to pull the article, but not a surprise knowing how much they ride Lebron's nutz.

Da KO King

07-29-2010, 07:51 PM

I'd like any ISH'ers that have a problem with LeBron's behavior to make themselves known that way I know never to invite you out with me and my boys. Only LeBron can have people complain about his partying... in Las Vegas no less!!!

Seriously, let it go people. The guy is an all time great, he wanted to play in an awesome city with two of his buddies, and his new team will eventually win a championship.

niko

07-29-2010, 07:55 PM

SourGrapes

07-29-2010, 07:57 PM

It was a gossip column with an obvious agenda. More suited for TMZ than ESPN.

And I don't even like LeBron, so don't pull the LeBron-homer card on me.

it wasn't a gossip column, arash was documenting what was happening at an ornate party featuring several nba players.

characterizing something as gossip or unsubstantial just because it is about a particular subject matter is retarded.

and clearly espn thought it was substantive enough to get rid of it rather than simply claim it to be false

monkeypox

07-29-2010, 07:58 PM

So automatically, I'm a Lebron fan? Orly?

Be intelligent for once. The whole article bashed him for acting childish because of the way he partied. What was wrong with that? The fact that who planned was never confirmed. Lets not forget the fact that wherever he was paid for him to party there.

Did you actually read the article? There's only one paragraph that actually puts out an opinion of what's happening. Most of it is just descriptions of the event from the reporters point of view. It's up to you to decide what, if anything, that means for LeBron. All that is besides the point anyways since the problem was that the story was pulled.

It was a gossip column with an obvious agenda. More suited for TMZ than ESPN.

And I don't even like LeBron, so don't pull the LeBron-homer card on me.

Really? Find me one single similar article in the history of TMZ. Like I said earlier, please read a newspaper once in your life so you understand what they actually publish. It's not all just clinical descriptions of important events.

SourGrapes

07-29-2010, 07:58 PM

i guess im not invited, im not complaining, but he did come across like a douche, no? or is making fun of him hating?

he did come off like a douche, but what most idiots on here are missing is that this is more about espn pulling the article than lebron himself

Replay32

07-29-2010, 08:08 PM

Da KO King

07-29-2010, 08:11 PM

i guess im not invited, im not complaining, but he did come across like a douche, no? or is making fun of him hating?
I read the article reposting and only thing I have a problem with was the ugly ass cake and the shades in the club. :oldlol: Outside of that sounds like a few nights of fun with the fellas.

While the article is just an observation piece some of the descriptions are clearly used to draw slightly negative imagery. Still it wasn't pull worthy. Who ever had it pulled over-reacted.

Indian guy

07-29-2010, 08:12 PM

he did come off like a douche

Maybe to 65 year old grannies. If you're not one and still had an issue with The Party, then I pity the life you have lived. Every single one of us in here have been to parties 10x worse than that in college.

monkeypox

07-29-2010, 08:29 PM

LMAO at some of you "prudes" acting like you have never wild out at a party. Wow. Lebron is 25 and he's childish cuz he was having a good time at a party he got paid to be at.

I think the lebron hate is a bit over board and ridiculously feminine. Lebron is living life and was having a good time. Now he's getting hate for that too. Wow. So sad. LOL.

The title of that article was just pure hate and a lot of cats on this site are fairies. LMAO.

Really, I must have missed all those prude posts between the majority of the people who were either missing the point and defending LeBron and his party, and people that were actually talking about the story.

monkeypox

07-29-2010, 08:41 PM

Maybe to 65 year old grannies. If you're not one and still had an issue with The Party, then I pity the life you have lived. Every single one of us in here have been to parties 10x worse than that in college.

You went to parties where the waiters dressed as the celebrant and flew in from zip lines to deliver drinks? Damn, I went to the wrong parties. The only place I see parties like that are on that My Super Sweet 16 show on MTV. Which I guess is a pretty apt comparison.

RaininThrees

07-29-2010, 08:45 PM

Am I the only one who thinks wearing jewellery with your own initials on it is a big douchebag move?

branslowski

07-29-2010, 09:05 PM

Why is this a sticky?

Agent_Zero

07-29-2010, 10:10 PM

Why is this a sticky?

excellent question

Disaprine

07-29-2010, 11:22 PM

excellent question
^^^

Ketchup

07-29-2010, 11:58 PM

Actually, it's already been said they stand by the accuracy of the story 100%. Not garbage at all.

I wasnt talking about the accuracy. The story was garbage. You spend a night partying with Lebron James and all that you can do is describe what happened? No funny jokes, no stories just you calling the man a child for a party that he was paid to attend.

That is why it is garbage.

Give us some insight into how much pull he has and other things that we wouldn't see on the court, don't concentrate on how he treated some waiter.

To me it just seemed like he had some sort of beef with bron.

Lakas Fan Yo

07-30-2010, 03:07 AM

33 degree

bongolarry

07-30-2010, 03:18 AM

Lakas Fan Yo

07-30-2010, 03:21 AM

monkeypox

07-30-2010, 05:03 AM

I wasnt talking about the accuracy. The story was garbage. You spend a night partying with Lebron James and all that you can do is describe what happened? No funny jokes, no stories just you calling the man a child for a party that he was paid to attend.

That is why it is garbage.

Give us some insight into how much pull he has and other things that we wouldn't see on the court, don't concentrate on how he treated some waiter.

To me it just seemed like he had some sort of beef with bron.

The story was garbage because it didn't have enough jokes and didn't talk about how much pull he has? That's a ridiculously specific set of standards there. How he treated a waiting is exactly they type of thing you wouldn't see on court, you're contradicting yourself in the same sentence. Also the writer didn't call LeBron a child for going to a party that he was paid to attend, it was his behavior there and at the casino. You know, the part about the grown-ass man dunking on signs in a populated casino and shooting over invisible defenders by the slot machines.

Am I the only one who looks down on those who constantly whine, let alone care about what a celeb does?

Suggestion: Stop writing articles that really serve no importance to society at all and try to become useful to said society in some manner or form.

...or you could all continue with your inferiority complexes....I hear chicks dig that. lol

It's really what the weak do. Cry about the alpha males instead of looking at their own pathetic existence. lol

Lol, except that this is the whiniest post in the thread. Well it's like half whining and half alluding that you're so awesome that you don't care. All the while missing the whole point of why this article is even an issue. But I guess you're too busy being an alpha male to bother understanding anything that's going on around you. Here's a suggestion, think a little more before you put an opinion out, then you wouldn't have to try so hard to convince people of your alpha-ness in an effort to cover your lack of understanding. (Here's a hint, actual alpha's don't spend a lot of time talking about being an alpha.)

Darius

07-30-2010, 09:46 AM

I don't see what is wrong with LBJs actions here. Seems like a young man enjoying himself.

Lebron23

07-30-2010, 10:41 AM

Ketchup

07-30-2010, 11:19 AM

The story was garbage because it didn't have enough jokes and didn't talk about how much pull he has? That's a ridiculously specific set of standards there. How he treated a waiting is exactly they type of thing you wouldn't see on court, you're contradicting yourself in the same sentence. Also the writer didn't call LeBron a child for going to a party that he was paid to attend, it was his behavior there and at the casino. You know, the part about the grown-ass man dunking on signs in a populated casino and shooting over invisible defenders by the slot machines.

He's childish for having fun? I'm sorry if what is fun to him is different than what you do.

Thanks for not reading what I posted all the way through. My point was, if I spent the whole night with an NBA superstar in a casino, I would damn sure have more to say than this anti-lebron article did.

Did he even have anything positive to say about the whole night? How one sided can an article get before you realize? Oh wait, if you're on the same side, it doesnt matter now does it?

thejusman1

07-30-2010, 12:12 PM

Colin Cowherd on ESPN radio this morning says the Lebron article was pulled by ESPN because it was revealed that the writer did not follow proper protocol by disclosing the fact that he was a member of the media to Lebron & co. To paraphrase Cowherd, "that's not what we do here [at ESPN]. We don't 'snoop' around. We have to identify ourselves as members of the media from the get-go."

Babalu

07-30-2010, 12:15 PM

Don't know what the problem is here. Story wasn't bad. LBJ didn't do anything bad. *confused*

gts

07-30-2010, 04:27 PM

[QUOTE]As the world

Allstar24

07-30-2010, 04:52 PM

ESPN is a joke. To think they're supposed to be the premiere sports channel...embarrassing.

kobesabi

07-30-2010, 06:23 PM

Is he holding 4 fingers to symbolize 4 invisible rings? Or past 4 years of failure? Or 4 more years of failure?

monkeypox

07-30-2010, 06:30 PM

He's childish for having fun? I'm sorry if what is fun to him is different than what you do.

Thanks for not reading what I posted all the way through. My point was, if I spent the whole night with an NBA superstar in a casino, I would damn sure have more to say than this anti-lebron article did.

Did he even have anything positive to say about the whole night? How one sided can an article get before you realize? Oh wait, if you're on the same side, it doesnt matter now does it?

I'm not agreeing with him, just pointing out that he wasn't called childish just for going to a party he was paid to attend like you say.

I'm not sure why you think it's the journalists duty to fish for good things to say about LeBron. What type of positive action were you looking for in this scenario? Should he have fabricated some just to make people like you happy? That type of thing is exactly what people are complaining about in regards to modern journalism.

Your ideas are contradictory. He only really expresses an opinion in one paragraph, the rest are just a retelling of his observations regardless if he only picked and chose actions that he found childish. If you think it's negative, its because you find his described actions as being negative. Yet you defend his actions as not being bad. Which is it? If his actions are ok, then a writers descriptions of the actions should also be ok. You can't say a writers description of events are all negative, then on the other side defend everything LeBron did was fine.

Kevin_Gamble

07-31-2010, 04:23 PM

Lebron James = the only human being in the world who acts childishly in a party

Scoooter

07-31-2010, 05:14 PM

Don't know what the problem is here. Story wasn't bad. LBJ didn't do anything bad. *confused*
It's not about the content of the story or the fact that LeBron was partying. It's about ESPN sacrificing journalistic integrity by kowtowing to an athlete and his handlers. It's a big can of worms that really has nothing to do with LeBron's behavior (in this instance anyway).

How some people can still be so stupid as to not get this is something of a headscratcher.

mattevans11

08-01-2010, 02:03 AM

this really deserves a sticky?

playtetris

08-01-2010, 02:41 AM

why is this a story again? because it's lebron. they could write this sort of article about ANY nba athlete barring duncan or battier or whomever. the fact that espn is broadcasting his inebriated and possibly philandering ways is more pathetic than anything.

the reason that they pulled this is probably because they damage relations with james. i doubt he or his entourage had anything to do with the situation at all. espn most likely realised that hey, this guy recently broadcast his "decision" exclusively on our network, if we want to maintain exclusive rights to any scoops involving him, it's best not to portray him as a puerile and sexist douchebag.

the only really objectionable thing in the article to me is that salacious comment he made to that chick with the tattoo. doesn't he have a wife/de facto and a couple of kids? barring that? seems like a good night out tbh

Basketball Fan

08-01-2010, 01:20 PM

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/01/sports/basketball/01sportsbriefs-NOPENALTYFOR_BRF.html?_r=2

[quote]No Penalty for Party Profiler
By RICHARD SANDOMIR
Published: August 1, 2010

ESPN will not discipline one of its online writers, Arash Markazi, for not properly disclosing that he was writing an article about LeBron James

Nastradamus

08-01-2010, 02:40 PM

If I ran the world, there would be no articles like tihs, because they are not news. What kind of world is it where you are Tiger Woods and you can't knock off a few hoes.

Courtside View

08-01-2010, 03:27 PM

:oldlol: @ all the pathetic people looking for any excuse to bash Lebron. I pity you if you're 25 or older and haven't been to quite a few wild parties.

And those who say "It's not about the article, it's about ESPN pulling it!!!", they clearly stated that it had nothing to do with Lebron's camp but because the reporter didn't identify himself as one. Even if you don't believe that, IT'S LAME TO POST A STORY ABOUT A 25 YEAR OLD MEGA-STARS PARTY HABITS IN VEGAS.

Funny thing about it is, I will bet that most of these people bashing Lebron's party habits, if they were invited to join him would do so in a HEARTBEAT. Why wouldn't you? Free booze, top nightclubs in Vegas, women swarming around. Of course you would, if you're sane, you hypocrites.

gts

08-01-2010, 04:15 PM

It's not about the content of the story or the fact that LeBron was partying. It's about ESPN sacrificing journalistic integrity by kowtowing to an athlete and his handlers. It's a big can of worms that really has nothing to do with LeBron's behavior (in this instance anyway).

How some people can still be so stupid as to not get this is something of a headscratcher.
yep

Courtside View

08-01-2010, 04:26 PM

yep

Nope. As explained above.

Also, everyone complaining on here didn't cite the story being pulled as their reason for bashing him. They bashed him for his activities during the party.

So try again.

gts

08-01-2010, 04:48 PM

Nope. As explained above.

Also, everyone complaining on here didn't cite the story being pulled as their reason for bashing him. They bashed him for his activities during the party.

So try again.i wasn't talking to you but since you decided to act the fool again, read scooters post then mine, then feel free if you still lack a shred of comprehension to add your worthless opinion that actually has nothing to do with the post i was agreeing with....

typical knoe/courtside post... the gate keeper of jumping in with both feet without looking where you're going to land

Courtside View

08-01-2010, 04:56 PM

i wasn't talking to you but since you decided to act the fool again, read scooters post then mine, then feel free if you still lack a shred of comprehension to add your worthless opinion that actually has nothing to do with the post i was agreeing with....

typical knoe/courtside post... the gate keeper of jumping in with both feet without looking where you're going to land

lol at "act a fool" being offering a different opinion to a lot of the nonsense people like you spew.

Scooter said "It's about ESPN sacrificing journalistic integrity by kowtowing to an athlete and his handlers. It's a big can of worms that really has nothing to do with LeBron's behavior (in this instance anyway)."

I explained that ESPN stated that it had NOTHING TO DO WITH LEBRON'S CAMP, so your co-signing his statement as if it's a FACT that that's what happened is foolish. Further, a story written about him having a party in Vegas is stupid in the first place, so ESPN shouldn't have run it. Looks like YOU lack a shred of comprehension.

As for the other nonsense, you wrote not even worth addressing.

Typical gts post though.

gts

08-01-2010, 05:09 PM

Scooter said "It's about ESPN sacrificing journalistic integrity by kowtowing to an athlete and his handlers. It's a big can of worms that really has nothing to do with LeBron's behavior (in this instance anyway)."

I explained that ESPN stated that it had NOTHING TO DO WITH LEBRON'S CAMP, and you believed them? how cute of you... their own people aren't even buying that line of BS...lol

this is the same network that aired the decision and has been called out for doing so by everyone from the east coast to the west coast including their own people...

that's twice now in less than one months time ESPN has show horrible judgement on the subject....

but you just keep pulling that ESPN party line, it's fans like you that they have come to depend on, never question never wonder, just pigeon hole everyone who doesn't agree with you as a hater or delusional and run back under your rock until the next time you're called upon to repel any views that don't buy the hype

branslowski

08-01-2010, 07:29 PM

and you believed them? how cute of you... their own people aren't even buying that line of BS...lol

this is the same network that aired the decision and has been called out for doing so by everyone from the east coast to the west coast including their own people...

that's twice now in less than one months time ESPN has show horrible judgement on the subject....

but you just keep pulling that ESPN party line, it's fans like you that they have come to depend on, never question never wonder, just pigeon hole everyone who doesn't agree with you as a hater or delusional and run back under your rock until the next time you're called upon to repel any views that don't buy the hype

Damn..:eek: :oldlol:

hawksdogsbraves

08-01-2010, 08:36 PM

So Lebron, who is 25 and the one of the most famous people on the planet, goes to a club and gets ****ed up, and now all these people are saying that he is an immature little kid?

The fact that he 'dribbled through his friends' or made the comment that he wished a stripper was the server seems like the author was trying too hard to paint Lebron in a negative light that really doesn't seem to exist. It's not like he was blowing lines of cocaine and getting in fights.

People just forget that he's 25 and likes to have a good time.

Courtside View

08-01-2010, 08:39 PM

and you believed them? how cute of you... their own people aren't even buying that line of BS...lol

First you said I lacked comprehension, as if I misunderstood your co-signing of Scooter's post, when I clearly didn't. So you were wrong about that (no surprise).

this is the same network that aired the decision and has been called out for doing so by everyone from the east coast to the west coast including their own people...

I could care less about ESPN, in fact I don't even LIKE ESPN, except as a necessary evil to get NBA related news. The bottom line, however, is that you don't have any proof one way or the other about whether or not Lebron's camp had anything to do with it. And like I already explained, it was a dumb article to begin with that shouldn't have been published. Oooh, millionaire athlete parties in Vegas. SO WHAT? It wouldn't be any different if Lebron's people DID contact ESPN and ESPN decided that "Yeah, it was a stupid article" and took it down. Of course, you're going to jump on any possible opportunity to jump on the Bash Bron train regardless of where it's heading.

that's twice now in less than one months time ESPN has show horrible judgement on the subject....

Yup. The Decision was horrible, and so was the decision to publish an article about Lebron's partying habits. Agreed.

but you just keep pulling that ESPN party line, it's fans like you that they have come to depend on, never question never wonder, just pigeon hole everyone who doesn't agree with you as a hater or delusional and run back under your rock until the next time you're called upon to repel any views that don't buy the hype

It's hilarious for you to talk about "hype" being that you're a Bryant fan but aside from that what I said has nothing to do with accepting ESPN's hype. I commented that their statement was that Lebron's camp had nothing to do with it, which you can't prove one way or the other. But even if they DID have something to do with having it pulled, so what? It was a stupid article to begin with. Of course, you never considered the possibility that perhaps they DO want to have a continuously good relationship with Bron's camp and decided on their own that the article wasn't worth putting that in jeaporady over an article that they concluded was ill conceived.

None of that has to involve following any "ESPN Hype" nor even liking the network. It DOES, however, involve the ability to take each situation on a case by case basis instead of joining the screaming hordes as people such as yourself are eager to do in any circumstance involving Lebron.

I can concede that Lebron is egotistical. That he's at best childish, and at worst an assh*le. That's because I don't worship celebrity athletes. I doubt you'd ever concede the same about your boy. However, none of that has any bearing on my commentary on him as a player, or what I think of his decision to leave Cleveland and everything that's come after that. Something people such as yourself grapple with.

JustinJDW

08-02-2010, 02:53 AM

Anyone who wears shades in dark night clubs is trying WAY TOO HARD to look cool. Way too hard. It screams insecurity. This isn't CSI.

But besides that, I don't see what people are complaining about. The guy is young, talented and rich as hell, and he is having a party in Vegas. So what? Who wouldn't do the same if they were Lebron?

Lebron is a douche bag though. This has been known for a while. People who become rich and succesful like Lebron usually end up getting a little douche bag in them. Jordan's a douche bag.

Can you imagine Tim Duncan doing shit like this though when he was young? :oldlol: Nah, for real though, this does make me like Kobe a little more though. It makes me realize that he isn't about the parties, hype, money and ESPN dick riding, he just wins rings. Him and Timmy.

Lebron and his second fiddle ass is just gonna loose again.

SinJackal

08-02-2010, 03:05 AM

To be honest, I'm more thinking the Heat won't win because of Bosh's drawbacks more than the odds of LBJ/Wade not working together. Bosh is not a prototypical big man. They can't really rely on him to score in the post and defend the better bigs that the best teams in the NBA roll with right now.

LA_Showtime

08-02-2010, 03:16 AM

Why did they pull the article? Everything James did was fine. In fact, it sounded fun.

The only problem I have with James is his entourage. They aren't doing him any favors with the media and I think the lack of judgment within his management company will ultimately cost him millions of dollars. But hey, who am I to say?

Oh, he should also stop calling himself "King." It just sounds stupid. I think most people would be embarrassed by that shit. :oldlol:

Rambis

08-02-2010, 02:39 PM

Oh, he should also stop calling himself "King." It just sounds stupid. I think most people would be embarrassed by that shit. :oldlol:

Anyone who would call themselves that wouldn't have the capacity to realize how stupid it is.

As for the person saying Kobe just focuses on winning, I think that's true, but I'll be the first to admit that I bet he's an as$hole to deal with. He has pulled some seriously questionable shyte during his Lakers tenure.

chris2010

08-02-2010, 03:30 PM

If if were 25 and rich, i would be doing some partying myself. However, my main beef with him is that he couldnt play in the olympics b/c he would be too busy with free agency and i think helping a friend shoot a movie. The free agency circus was enough, wth was the vegas party? shooting on location for brothas gone wild?

FultzNationRISE

02-04-2021, 12:08 PM

.

Here are some quick excerpts from the article chronicling James' massive party:

- “Bottle after bottle” of ‘Ace of Spades’ champagne is delivered to LeBron by a waiter who flies down from the dance floor “like an overgrown Peter Pan.” All we can say is, we saw this coming.

- One time the waiter is dressed as a King, another as Indiana Jones. At one point he almost kicks LeBron in the head by accident, to which James says, “I wish they’d have one of these girls with no panties do that instead of this guy.”

- Glen “Big Baby” Davis, apparently at the same club by coincidence, walks by and surveys the spectacle before him. All he can do is shake his head and keep walking. Even the so-called Big Baby couldn't believe Kid James.

- James and Lamar Odom teach each other how to Dougie. Odom then casts a glance James' way before looking in the opposite direction, and raising his glass at a couple on the dance floor who point to their ring fingers and smile.

- Markazi on James: “The more time you spend around him, the more you realize he’s a child wrapped in 6-foot-8, 250-pound frame.” The night after the party at Tao, he and his crew walk through the casino at the Wynn and Encore and he pretends to dribble a basketball, weaving throug a pack of dozen friends for a layup, and dunking on overhead casion signs, as he walks past ringing slot machines and tourists who do double-takes. In a Nike T-shirt, jeans and sneakers, James' pantomime seems unconscious."

Yep, that’s probably the line that got Camp LeBron angry the most.

As Littman points out, this isn’t the first time that LeBron’s handlers may or may not have censored a story about their star. Remember the Jordan Crawford dunk?

:roll: