LeBron James says one of the reasons he shot poorly the night after his big 61 point scoring fest is that the league has introduced new jerseys this year. Jerseys with sleeves.
NOW you may think, based on my opinion of James, that this is just another example of a prima donna sports star making excuses for a bad performance.
You would be wrong.
I agree with James on this point completely. To tell you the truth, I was kind of surprised when the NBA introduced jerseys with sleeves this season. I've never been a great basketball player, but I can tell you that with all certainty, that when I wear t-shirts while shooting a basketball I am constantly readjusting it to loosen the shirt after every shot. Usually I just tug on the front of my shirt to loosen the sleeves, but it is very confining. I don't do that when I'm wearing a tank top.
I THOUGHT I was the only person that noticed that, but I did wonder if it affected NBA players as well. Now I know it does. My buddy Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, said the new jerseys make NBA superstars look like junior college wrestlers as well.
I know it's all about marketing and making even more money off new jerseys, but I would guess that if asked, most NBA players would agree with my buddy Mark (remember he e-mailed me once--true story) and LeBron.
T-shirts are simply more confining when playing basketball. They do affect your shot. How much, I don't know, but everybody would play better without them. At least a little bit.
And you always want to play at your best, especially when your livelihood is at stake.
Oh, and I still think LeBron is a prima donna who makes excuses. My opinion of him hasn't changed. But he was right this time.
This time.
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