NBA analyst thinks LeBron James needs mental help
Jun 16, 2011, 4:27 AM | Updated: 2:55 pm
PHOENIX – LeBron James is taking the brunt of the blame for the Miami Heat losing in the NBA Finals to the Dallas Mavericks.
Some are suggesting that James’ biggest problem resides between the ears.
“LeBron James has proven he’s a guy that is in need of a sports psychologist. He obviously has a problem handling anxiety, stress and pressure,” said ESPN NBA analyst Tim Legler on the Sports 620 KTAR’s Gambo and Ash show on Wednesday.
“What he did in the Finals was one of the biggest meltdowns I’ve ever seen.”
Legler said it was night and day when comparing James’ performance in the Finals from other playoff series this postseason.
“He was tentative, passive and scared. He did everything he could to deflect pressure to the other guys on the team. He was running from the moment. It was too big for him,” said Legler.
Those are very harsh words to say about any player in any professional sport, but especially for someone many regard as the best player in the NBA.
The analyst did acknowledge that he’s never seen a player suffer such negative backlash before.
“It’s a once in a lifetime phenomenon in terms of a guy fall as far as he’s fallen in terms of his popularity around the world,” said Legler.
Still, it’s difficult to even feel sympathy for a player like James who openly boasted about how many championships his team would win.
If you talk trash in any walk of life and don’t back it up, people will call you out on it.
