LeBron James Basically Bashes Kevin Love While Trying To Praise Kevin Love
BOSTON (CBS) -- After winning the NBA Finals, LeBron James didn't cover himself in glory with the way he spoke mostly about himself in the minutes and hours that came after the championship.
A few days later at the Cavaliers championship parade, LeBron tried to speak well of his teammates, and specifically Kevin Love. But he took a rather interesting route in getting there.
Toucher & Rich played the audio on Thursday.
"I heard a lot of 'Thank You LeBrons" today, and you know, 'Thanks for coming home and keeping your promise,'" LeBron relayed to the million or so fans in downtown Cleveland. "But I really, you guys really should be thanking all the guys up here, to be honest. I'm just one man, I'm one man with a plan, with a drive, with determination."
Here, Fred Toucher pointed out that LeBron didn't have to talk himself up to the crowd.
"You're in front of like a million people who are applauding you," Fred noted.
Back to LeBron:
"Big Kev. Kevin Love. Um, wow. What y'all saying back there? Kevin Love? Kev, when I knew we had the opportunity to get you two years ago, I didn't second-guess it. I think you knew how I felt. I told you the [2012] Olympics that in order for us to win a gold medal, you had to be our anchor on the interior, and you looked at me like, 'Man, you don't know me, shut the [expletive] up.' And for the last two years, you kind of looked at me like that a few times as well. But this guy is so misunderstood. Everybody says, 'Well he's not a team player. He doesn't do what it takes.'"
Rich, Fred and Wallach all reacted at the same time.
Rich: "What??!! Why are you saying this??"
Wallach: "What the hell is wrong with you?"
Fred: "What are you doing? This is a celebration -- what the hell is going on?"
"[Just say] 'Thank you, city of Cleveland,'" Wallach said. "I mean really, this is not hard to do."
"For someone who's been avoiding media, and avoiding social media during all this time, he seems very informed of what everyone was saying," Fred added.
LeBron continued about Love: "And you guys saw his struggles throughout the Finals."
Wallach translated: "He really sucked for six games, but we were happy to have him here."
More LeBron on Love: "Everything that happened from the concussion to sitting out, to him having his shooting struggles and things of that nature. Everybody was burying him alive throughout the Finals. And to be able to respond like he did in Game 7, that's what real men do. They respond in the most adverse times. ... Thank you, Kev."
Fred noted that about four people out of a million in attendance clapped their hands at the end of that homage.
It was remarkable, and it was something that only Jonny Gomes and Jacksonville Lady could sum up on the radio.
Listen below: