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NFL, American Football Herren, USA New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills, Oct 29, 2018 Orchard Park, NY, USA Pro Football Hall of Fame member Terrell Owens prior to the game between the New England Patriots and the Buffalo Bills at New Era Field. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports, 29.10.2018 19:45:01, 11599633, Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, NFL, Terrell Owens PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xRichxBarnesx 11599633
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NFL, American Football Herren, USA New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills, Oct 29, 2018 Orchard Park, NY, USA Pro Football Hall of Fame member Terrell Owens prior to the game between the New England Patriots and the Buffalo Bills at New Era Field. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports, 29.10.2018 19:45:01, 11599633, Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, NFL, Terrell Owens PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xRichxBarnesx 11599633
Essentials Inside The Story
- LeBron James sparks backlash after blunt comments about certain cities
- Terrell Owens jumps in with sharp criticism
- As reactions grow louder, the situation shifts from opinion to controversy
The Los Angeles Lakers star, LeBron James, recently ruffled feathers by sharing his honest preferences on road-game venues. During last week’s appearance on Bob Does Sports, the power forward casually took a dig at Memphis and Milwaukee. The move drew powerful reactions from the NFL world. And now, San Francisco 49ers icon Terrell Owens added to the debate by calling him and his supporters out for being ignorant about the repercussions of loose comments.
“But the crazy thing is, is that he (LeBron) doesn’t care,” Owens wrote on his Instagram story. “As you can see, he and his supporters feel as though he can say whatever he wants with no regard, just like our cornball SSA president.”
His response came while reacting to a post by Elizabeth Booker Houston, a Memphis-based lawyer, health expert, and political commentator. In her post, she criticized Project 2025, a policy framework that could allow the regime to restructure the federal government. The framework proposes changes to social programs, education, and other key areas.
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Houston made it clear that her work against such conservative policies loses impact when influential people such as LeBron James “sh-t over” Memphis, despite their philanthropy. She highlighted how people from the African-American community continue to suffer racism in white-dominated cities. She also spoke about the dire conditions of women in that community. Houston pointed out the insufficient medical facilities and a lack of agency over their own bodies.
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“But sure, an entire basketball franchise has to move from a Black city to a white one because some NBA players were uncomfortable,” Houston added. “Got it.”
For those unfamiliar, the entire controversy erupted over James’ remarks against Memphis and Milwaukee during an interview with Robby “Bobby Fairways” Berger. Later in their conversation, Berger asked James if hitting the road in his 23rd NBA season had worn him out. In his response, the player spoke against flying to the two cities in focus.
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“A random f—ing Tuesday in Milwaukee,” James said. “Staying at the f—ing Hyatt at 41 years old. You think I want to do that s—? Being in Memphis on a f—ing random ass Thursday? I’m not like the first guy to even talk about it in the NBA. We’re all like, ‘You guys [Memphis Grizzlies] have to move. Go over to Nashville.’ You got Vanderbilt over there, you got NASCAR, you got a stadium. Don’t they got a hockey team, too?”
James also added that he would never play for Memphis. He said that even if the Grizzlies had drafted him in 2003, he would have pulled off a move similar to Eli Manning’s. Despite being picked first overall by the San Diego Chargers in 2004, Manning forced a trade to the New York Giants. Meanwhile, Terrell Owens’ cutting words for James may catch one off guard.
It is because he spoke highly of him in the past, despite being a longtime fan of the Golden State Warriors. At age 41, James is already shocking people with his elite fitness and athleticism. But can he stretch his career into the late 40s? Crediting James’ successful 23-season run to his dedication and discipline, Owens showed firm support for him.
“I don’t know about 48,” Owens laughed. “But if anyone can do it, he can do it…Obviously, he’s invested a lot in himself, and I think that he’s pretty much set the mark for all the athletes that are playing with longevity like him — you think about Kobe, you think about Dirk… guys that have played 15-plus years.”
Owens said a beastly career like James’ requires more than just training and has more to do with taking care of your body and balancing nutrition, something LeBron has nailed. As for the NBA star’s comments, he received heavy criticism from Memphis, which has the largest share of the African-American population, according to the 2022 estimates. It ultimately led the NBA star to step forward and clear the air.
LeBron James bashes Cleveland after bashing Memphis & Milwaukee
After causing a stir with his comments targeting Memphis and Milwaukee, LeBron James didn’t stay quiet. Later in the same interview, he did clarify that he meant no disrespect to people living in those places. But after facing the music, he hit back with a problematic response and ended up criticizing a major city in his home state of Ohio.
He revealed he wouldn’t like to suit up for Cleveland either. For some, his remarks may reek of entitlement because it was the Cleveland Cavaliers that drafted him in the third round in 2014. He played the first seven seasons of his NBA career with them and returned for another stint in 2014. During the second stint, the Cavaliers made it to the NBA finals for four consecutive seasons.
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May 9, 2009; Atlanta, GA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) goes in for a dunk against the Atlanta Hawks in the first quarter of game four of the eastern conference semifinals at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine for the Akron Beacon Journal via USA TODAY Sports
But for James, an Ohio native, slamming his own home city was his way of telling critics it was never about the people or the city. It’s mostly about the infrastructure and opportunities.
“I don’t like going home either…and I’m from there,” James said on Saturday. “People are ridiculous. They also get mad at my son [Bronny] being on the [Lakers], too. So what are we talking about? People need to figure out other ways to put their energy to other things that’s important. Like seriously? I’m not talking about the city, like the people in Memphis. I don’t like staying at the Hyatt Centric. What’s wrong with that? Nothing! What are we talking about?…People need to chill the hell out.”
But even these comments didn’t sit well with the people of Memphis and its mayor, Paul Young. In his message, Paul challenged James to come to his city.
“Come to Memphis and roll around with me for a bit, and I will show you some of the culture and powerful investment opportunities in our city,” he added.
He clearly wants James to see for himself whether his criticism reflects the reality.
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Bhwya Sriya