LeBron James ripping his sleeved jersey last been a longtime coming.
LeBron has loathed sleeved jerseys practically since they became popular in the NBA.
Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com:So it would stand to reason that James might be a little miffed that the Cavs again put him in one of those things. Except, they asked and received his approval, and, he worked out in them.
“I don’t know, it might be mental, man,” James said Wednesday night. “That’s OK. The jerseys are nice, we love the jerseys, the black looks great. It’s been a while since this franchise has worn black, so it’s great to be out there and wear those uniforms.
“I was just, I was in my own way, I was a little frustrated with my shot and couldn’t make a bucket, so like I said I had to take it out on something.”
The Cavs plan to wear the shirts again, and James said he’s fine with that, too.
“If the fans love them, I love them. I think that’s all it’s about,” he said.
I’m glad LeBron admitted this was more mental than the cloth actually restraining his shooting motion.
LeBron missed all six of his attempts away from the rim – including two free throws – before ripping his sleeve. He improved to 5-for-11 – including 4-for-6 from the line – afterward, but that left him just 1-for-5 on ripped-sleeve jumpers.
This is too small an issue for LeBron to get worked up about. If he wants to steam about his shaky outside shooting so far this season – 2-for-18 on 3-pointers – that’s much more understandable.