Stevenson called James “overrated,” according to a March 14 Washington Post blog entry by former Kansas City Star reporter Ivan Carter.
James then said, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer on Monday: “With DeShawn Stevenson, it’s kind of funny. It’s almost like Jay-Z (responding to a negative comment) made by Soulja Boy. It doesn’t make sense.”
(If you’re unfamiliar with top-40 rap music — in which case this column must confuse you the way subtlety confuses Will Ferrell or the way pants confuse sumo wrestlers — that’s like LeBron calling himself an aircraft carrier and Stevenson a rowboat. Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter is considered a lasting cultural force for my generation. While DeAndre “Soulja Boy” Way is a teenager who had a hit song and a cute little dance last summer and is predicted to be a one-hit wonder.)
Well, Stevenson wasn’t done. James — like Chiefs running back Larry Johnson — is reported to be good friends with Jay-Z.
So Stevenson, according to Carter’s Wizards blog on Wednesday, said: “I hope we play Cleveland (in the first round of the playoffs). I’m going to get Soulja Boy courtside seats and have him wear a DeShawn Stevenson jersey. Maybe (James) can have Jay-Z there since LeBron’s all on his (shorts), anyway.”
This is the sort of trash talking that will be go down in history like when Michael Jordan called Bryon Russell “By-ron.” Or when Kobe Bryant said of Raja Bell: “I don’t even know this kid. I don’t want to.” Or when Shaquille O’Neal said Eric Dampier could be a dominant force in the WNBA.
If trash talking is an art, these guys are going to lead the NBA into a Renaissance. And as long as this stuff is good natured — which I’m certain it is — it’s good for the league. And it’s good for Stevenson, an average player who is getting way more attention for this than he ever did for his play.
But if LeBron gets asked about this again, and he will, he should respond by reminding the youngsters that actions speak louder than words and silence is golden.
Treating critics as if they are insignificant makes them angrier than anything else.
