UPDATE: 3:48 pm: CNBC’s Darren Rovell got this comment from ESPN:
Sounds a lot like spin. Not that we expected anything else.
3:00 pm: We woke up this morning to a fleshed out picture of the life an influences on LeBron James -- ESPNLosAngeles’ Arash Markazi was a part of LeBron’s entourage and followed him around for a night in Vegas, living life on the inside, then filed the report.
We’d link to it, but ESPN pulled it. What happens in Vegas did not stay in Vegas, and somebody didn’t like it. The story was taken down. However, there are stored versions all over the Web, such as at Deadspin or Black Sports Online.
LeBron sought out a brighter spotlight to stand in, but he may be finding the realty is not as much fun as the dream.
Read the article, it is a fantastic bit or lifestyle writing. And you do not live LeBron’s lifestyle. The groupies around, the pretending to dribble and shoot jumpers as you walk through a Vegas casino as people stare, the five bodyguards to keep people at a distance, the bottles popping, the life of a true VIP in Vegas. That and LeBron getting six figures for having his name attached to the weekend party in Vegas.
He comes off as immature, rich with a huge ego and acting like the world revolves around him. Not sure that any of this is a surprise, or really all that out of the ordinary for what passes for ordinary in Vegas. Still, the details paint an unflattering picture. Especially when you think of Kobe busting it in a gym somewhere to get better and Kevin Durant resting up for another day of Team USA practices at the same time.
What is interesting is that ESPN pulled the story not long after it first went up. We don’t know what was considered on or off the record, or why the story was pulled, but I don’t see what was so offensive as to lead to the story needing to be yanked. I know Markazi and he is a good reporter and writer, the kind of guy who gets things right.
One’s mind jumps to what seems the most likely possibility -- LeBron and his people freaked out after reading it and then demanded it be pulled. They probably threatened libel. And ESPN obliged, not wanting the fight. Sort of like Nike freaking out about video of LeBron getting dunked on at his camp.
Don’t want to leap to that conclusion, but if you’re a fan of Occam’s razor, where the simplest explanation is usually the correct one, then LeBron freaking out makes the most sense. ESPN backing down shows where the calls are made -- money gets to ride in the limo, journalistic integrity can wait at the curb. But we will see what the spin is when it comes.
Either way, go read the story.