Back in the day, I used to love watching pro basketball and pro wrestling. My enthusiasm for both has faded considerably over the years, for entirely different reasons, but I still keep tabs on them. Who knows? I might still catch NBA fever again. (Pretty sure wrestling is a lost cause, but that's a whole other post)
One of the biggest stars in the contemporary NBA is LeBron James. If you pay any attention to pro hoops, you know all about the interesting turn that his career has taken recently. But it took reading a pro wrestling message board for it to dawn on me that it reads just like an excellent wrestling angle.
Think about it for a second. When James was playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers, he was the beloved hometown babyface who could never quite break through and win the title. So he schedules an interview where he reveals that he's changing his ways for the promise of more money and a title shot. The fans and his former allies feel betrayed, and boo their former hero after his "heel turn".
The best part is that, like all great wrestling heels, LeBron James is absolutely convinced that he is RIGHT. He even still has plenty of fans despite his "change of philosophy". And that just makes the fans that hate him all the more infuriated. I swear, most authentic wrestling angles are not booked as well these days as the LeBron to Miami Heat saga.
I'm not accusing LeBron James of being a bad guy or anything; I'm just remarking on the uncanny similarity to a classic wrestling storyline. However, if Cavs coach Byron Scott gets waylaid by a masked man wielding a steel chair the next time he faces the Heat, remember you read it here first.
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