Ego? Entitlement? or Both? The Latest on LeBron James

According to Fox Sports and Fanhouse.com, LeBron James was dunked on Monday during a pickup game at the LeBron James Skills Academy by Indiana guard Jordan Crawford. According to reports, shortly after James was given the "facial" by the college sophomore, he was seen talking to Lynn Merritt, Nike basketball senior director, who then reportedly confiscated all video recordings of the incident. This raises an interesting question:

Q: Is LeBron's ego really this big?
A: Perhaps.

I mean everyone has been dunked on before. Even the great shot blockers like Mutombo, Eaton, and Russell were all show up at one point or another. Maybe getting dunked on by Courtney Lee has created a more sensitive LeBron.

Either way, you'd think LeBron would have learned from his previous PR missteps. After losing to what he deemed an inferior team, LeBron snubbed Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic by bypassing the customary post-game handshake. He then skipped out on the press conference, refusing to speak to the media. He tried to make things better by explaining that he's a competitive guy who doesn't like to lose and that he'd send Howard a congratulatory email. Anyway you slice it, not too classy in my book.

And LeBron's not the only one to blame here either. Nike, in a move worthy of only corporate America, hasn't commented on the story (of which I can find), and has yet to release the video and let it run its course. I hardly think they'd do the same for Kobe, much less Jordan. But, I guess you've got to coddle your young star. He is entitled to that, right?

I leave you with a quote from G.K. Chesterton: “One may understand the cosmos, but never the ego; the self is more distant than any star.”