LeBron James seems to genuinely despise the sleeved jerseys the Cleveland Cavaliers wore Wednesday night, but he has been around long enough to know not to blame his uniform for a poor shooting night.
After he missed his first three outside shots in a win over the New York Knicks, LeBron was seen ripping the sleeves of his jersey like Hulk Hogan. He also reportedly made some adjustments with a pair of scissors during a timeout. But following the game, James admitted his issue with the sleeved jerseys is probably mental.
“I don’t know, it might be mental, man,” he said, via Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. “It’s OK. The jerseys are nice. We love the jerseys. The black looks great. It’s been awhile since this franchise has worn black. So it’s great to be out there and wear those uniforms. I was in my own way. I was frustrated with my shot, I couldn’t make a bucket, so like I said, I had to take it out on something.”
The Cavs won 96-86 despite a 9-of-23 shooting night for LeBron, who has made it clear in the past that he does not like the way the sleeved jerseys feel when he is shooting. However, business-savvy LeBron stopped short of bashing them again after he struggled.
“I mean, if the fans love them, I love them,” he said. “That’s what it’s all about. I think our fans here in Cleveland and around the world and around the league love the uniforms. I’ll wear them for 48 minutes in a ballgame.”
LeBron knows the NBA doesn’t want him dogging on the uniforms, and he also knows fans buy them in replica form. But if the league asked the Cavs to wear sleeved jerseys during an NBA Finals game, we’re confident LeBron would change his tune.
