LeBron James has a knack for memorable quotes, but his most famous lines come when he is being a little too honest. Whether he says he will "take my talents to South Beach" or promise Heat fans "Not 2, not 3, not 4, not 5, not 6, not 7" NBA titles, James tends to exhibit a major symptom of Foot in Mouth disease: speaking before he thinks.
That is what happened Thursday, when he told reporters "I think it would be great" to play for the Cleveland Cavaliers again. Even though he followed that comment up with "Iām here as a Miami Heat player and Iām happy where I am now," his initial response caught fire and became on of the top stories of the day.
The media could not help itself but run with these comments, even though they are effectively meaningless. James admitted himself that he and Cavs owner Dan Gilbert have not spoken since James defected to the Heat, so it's not like the team would go out of its way to give LeBron a chance at a Cleveland redemption.
James probably wanted to be the bigger man, and publicly let bygones be bygones. He might even think leaving the door open to a return to Cleveland will soften his image in the eyes of his harshest critics and opposing fans. But as with most of his previous PR gaffes, he tried to be magnanimous in the most ham-handed way.
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Apparently, LeBron's entourage does not include a PR coach (or if it does, that person should be fired, like, now). So here's a little unsolicited advice to James, free of charge. When a reporter asks you a question that requires a little introspection, say as little as possible.
Fans and the media love it when an athlete opens up and says more than the same recycled cliche responses, that is, until an athlete starts talking. James may think he'll gain sympathy from being honest, but all he is doing is giving everyone ammunition to criticize him a little more.
So next time a reporter asks James about anything, be it a return to Cleveland or his thoughts on the GOP presidential field, he should keep it bland. "I'm just focused on winning a championship in Miami." Make it your mantra, LeBron. You may be accused of being boring, but that beats being called a jerk.
