LeBron Questions Cavs' Owner's Character

Heat star continues war of words in new interview with GQ

Heat forward LeBron James is once again striking back at his former boss, questioning Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert's character and wondering if he "ever cared" about him.

James' harsh words for the man who employed him for seven seasons came out in an interview with GQ, released Tuesday.

Gilbert's infamous, over-the-top rant following James' decision to bolt Cleveland for Miami called his former player "self-promotional" and "narcissistic."

And how does James fight the charge of narcissism? Referring to himself in the third person.

"I don't think he ever cared about LeBron," James told the magazine. "My mother always told me: 'You will see the light of people when they hit adversity. You'll get a good sense of their character.' Me and my family have seen the character of that man."

James made his announcement during a national, hourlong special broadcast live on ESPN, and though he's taken flak for it, he said he wouldn't change a thing.

"When I found out I had an opportunity to do that for those kids, it was a no-brainer," James said of the special, which benefited the Boys and Girls Clubs.  
Gilbert, who also called James' South Beach switch "a shameful display of selfishness and betrayal," vowed to win an NBA championship before LeBron, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh get one.

James said he has a little extra motivation when the Heat first face the Cavs, on December 2.

"I do have motivation," James told GQ. "A lot of motivation."

In perhaps the most shocking portion of the interview, James, a native of nearby Akron, says he didn't really care for Cleveland growing up.

"Clevelanders, because they were the bigger-city kids when we were growing up, looked down on us...So we didn't actually like Cleveland. We hated Cleveland growing up," James said. "There's a lot of people in Cleveland we still hate to this day."

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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