LeBron James knows how to shake hands. It shouldn't be that hard to remember when. After losing a playoff series, for instance, no matter how much of a ``competitor'' you fancy yourself. For
one thing, you're done competing. For another, it doesn't require much
effort, or sincerity. If sportsmanship isn't motivation enough, and
whatever friendships you've forged on the other side aren't important
enough, then how about just to show some respect?Lord knows, James gets his share.Let's
be clear: For the most part, James has been a model citizen. He's
polite, accessible, generous with his time and money, and plays hard
every night. Now 24, he's handled the spotlight and the comparisons to
Michael Jordan since his junior year of high school with poise, and
without the benefit of even one year on a college campus, let alone
with somebody like Dean Smith - who mentored Jordan at North Carolina -
in his corner.Even so, a little more maturity was in order
Saturday night. In the seconds after the Magic eliminated his
Cavaliers, James had the good sense on his rush toward the exit to stop
and shake hands with all-time NBA great Oscar Robertson, who,
coincidentally, was walking onto the floor to present the Eastern
Conference trophy to Orlando.But that was it.James left without saying a word and his explanation a day later was more awkward still.``It's
hard for me to congratulate somebody after you just lose to them. I
mean, I'm a winner. That's not being a poor sport or anything like
that,'' he told reporters back at the team's facility Sunday in
Cleveland. ``Somebody beat you up, you're not going to congratulate
them on beating you up.``I'm a competitor,'' he added. ``That's what I do. It don't make sense to me to go up and shake somebody's hand.''It
has, though, for generations of ballplayers, including a lucky few who
were every bit as gifted as James, and dozens more whose trophy
collections James will need plenty of luck to match.Jordan, to
name one, made a point of shaking the hands of the Pistons' self-styled
``Bad Boys'' every time they knocked his less-talented Bulls out of the
Eastern Conference playoffs early in his pro career, in much the same
situation James finds himself now. His best was good enough to drag an
average team through the regular season and into the playoffs. But
against the best teams, trying to win a championship single-handedly
too often turned his teammates into, well, witnesses.``Four
other guys standing around waiting for something to happen,'' Jordan
conceded just before the Bulls finally broke through, ``isn't going to
do anybody any good.''Oddly enough, Jordan never got the hand
shakes returned. After the Bulls beat Detroit en route to their first
title in 1991, the Pistons' trio of Isiah Thomas, Bill Laimbeer and
Mark Aguirre walked off the court near the end of the game in a
deliberate snub. Jordan responded to the slight by making sure the
Pistons never got by him again.Whether Dwight Howard responds
the same way remains to be seen. Though he said he understood why James
left the court without a word, if anyone earned a handshake and the
measure of respect that goes with it, that guy was Howard.The
Magic center was a teammate on last summer's U.S. Olympic squad and he
looks more and more like a force to be reckoned with for years to come.
Howard came into the league less polished and his game isn't as showy,
but he's the same age as James and he's already mastered the toughest
lesson about being a star - making everyone around him better.When
asked about LeBron's disappearing act, Howard said he received a
congratulatory, late-night e-mail and didn't sound too vexed.``I
just thought he would have said something to me, or said something to
the team. He's probably upset, probably hurt and understand that,
respect it. One day we'll see each other,'' he said, ``and I'll have to
wait until then.''But in the next moment, asked whether he was surprised, Howard barely hesitated.``Real
surprised,'' he said.No one competes in a sport to make excuses or
concession speeches. But being able to make a passable one - even if
it's just muttering ``well done'' in a handshake line -What James
did offended old-school sensibilities, to be sure, but it also sent the
wrong message to the guys playing against and especially alongside him
at the moment. If that's his idea of leadership, he's headed in the wrong direction. SOURCE:AP
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