Off the Court Lebron James Doesn't Have a Clue

Behold the reaction of Lebron James towards anyone having a snit over his controversial Vogue cover photo with supermodel Gisele Bundchen, in which the NBA superstar is seen in a King Kong-esque pose to Ms. Bundchen's Fay Wray:

""Just showing a little emotion. We had a few looks, and that was the best one we had ... Everything my name is on is going to be criticized in a good way or bad way. Who cares what anybody says?"

How fitting. Yet, another mega-rich, professional athlete dismisses conduct unbecoming off the playing field.

But then this is Lebron James we're talking about here, a basketball phenom on the court, but a young man who has a history of making dumb decisions off of it. During his senior year in high school James was stripped of his basketball eligibility for taking throwback jersey's worth over $800. Soon afterwards he skipped college for the glamorous life of the NBA and while he has become a huge star in the league with several all-star appearances and leading his team to the NBA Finals last season, he continues to make dumb moves outside the friendly confines of the hardwood. During the 2007 NBA playoffs James chose to not sign a petition started by his teammate, Ira Newble, regarding the Chinese government's participation in the ongoing conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan. Later in 2007, he dissed his Cleveland hometown by wearing a Yankees cap to an Indians-Yankees playoff game. And earlier this year, after being stopped in a brand new Mercedes for speeding in excess of 100mph, James nonchalantly blew it off as being "no big deal".

But the Vogue cover is a big deal. Not only to many members of the Black community, but apparently Vogue itself when the magazine took it upon themselves to create a buzz around the upcoming issue in announcing that James would be the first black man to grace its cover. Yet, of all the photos famed photographer Annie Leibovitz took of James and Bundshen, a photo that promotes "Beauty and the Beast" aesthetics was chosen by the Vogue editors (and Lebron, who surely had some say in approving the shots) for its cover. In a column at ESPN.com, Jemele Hill called the cover "memorable for all the wrong reasons."

Indeed, Leibowitz has a history of taking controversial photos of Black subjects and in the case of the cover shot, it seems as if her aim was have Gisele play the "helpless" white woman to 6-foot-9 James' "massive brute"-note Lebron's wide open mouth as well as the size of his hand in comparison to Bundshen's waist. Can there be any doubt that Vogue's intent on featuring the "Secrets of the Best Bodies" (as noted on the cover) loses itself while reinforcing racist stereotypes about black men? Conveying the contrast between the fair and the beastly?

After all, the comparison of black folks to apes has been a time-worn testament to racist iconography in Western culture for a long time now. And why couldn't Vogue, a reputable magazine which has featured men on its cover only twice before (Richard Gere appeared with Cindy Crawford in 1992 and George Clooney in 2000, also with Bundchen, with both Gere and Clooney appearing groomed and stylish), put King James in a nice tailored suit, or some other aesthetic Lebron is rarely seen in? And while magazines often use provocative photos to sell issues, Vogue's Lebron/Bundchen cover more than crosses the line for its blatant insensitivity. And for that Vogue, Leibovitz and Lebron all deserve the scorn for their irresponsibility in perpetuating racial steroetypes.