Another Jamesian gaffe: LeBron drops R-word, later apologizes

By {/%BYLINE%} {%AUTHOR%}Kevin Allen{/%AUTHOR%} {%TITLE%}Another Jamesian gaffe: LeBron drops R-word, later apologizes{/%TITLE%} {%ALTERNATIVEURL%}{/%ALTERNATIVEURL%} {%IMAGE%}/Resource.ashx?sn=LeBronHeatcrop{/%IMAGE%} {%ROLE%}87d65c27-6e78-4e5c-b423-78d47d4f2768{/%ROLE%} {%KICKER%}Media Relations{/%KICKER%} {%CATEGORIESID%}9b04de1d-f7bc-4de7-842e-c9c833ff24e9, 5b5f5480-7a63-458a-90a4-0b98007ec3f7{/%CATEGORIESID%} {%CAPTION%}For all of his on-court prowess, James leaves much to be desired from a media-training standpoint. Exhibit A: ‘The Decision.’ Exhibit B: This week’s incident.{/%CAPTION%} {%BODYCOPY%}LeBron James, Lady Gaga have something in common—and it’s not that they both possess polarizing public personas. James joins Gaga in piquing the ire of the Association of Developmental Disabilities with the use of the word “retarded.” After the Miami Heat’s Game 3 loss to the Boston Celtics, James’ teammate Dwyane Wade was asked a question, to which James responded under his breath, but still audible over the microphone, “That’s retarded.” Gary Blumenthal, CEO of the Association of Developmental Disabilities, said in a statement: “LeBron James offended millions of people with his use of the ‘R’-word. “Aren't we as a society beyond the use of such offensive language as the 'R'-word, other offensive words? There is no difference between racist language, homophobic language,, language that insults people with disabilities. It is all offensive, hurtful." After Monday’s game, James was contrite: "First of all, before I answer your questions, I want to apologize for using the 'R'-word after Game 3," he said. For all of his on-court prowess, James’ off-court savvy has left something to be desired throughout his career. He’s a solid contender for the all-time worst sports gaffe when he appeared on a program titled “The Decision,” in which he destroyed all positive public favor in a matter of moments when he declared, “I’ll be taking my talents to South Beach.” Unfortunately, he’ll always be compared against Michael Jordan, whose public dealings were the stuff of legend in Chicago. CollegeHumor.com recently lampooned the comparison in a reimagining of the movie “Space Jam.” (Possibly NSFW, some mild language, brief human-on-cartoon violence.) (Image via){/%BODYCOPY%} {%ID%}8204{/%ID%} {%DATAID%}b93c3e93-3802-4a88-8438-9a81f09ef20a{/%DATAID%} {%CanonicalUrl%}{/%CanonicalUrl%} {%PUBLISHDATE%}5/10/2011 1:56:56 PM{/%PUBLISHDATE%} {%LINK%}https://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/8204.aspx{/%LINK%} {%BYLINE%}
May 10, 2011