Jesse Jackson: Dan Gilbert Sees LeBron James As 'Runaway Slave'

LeBron James might have left the Cavs for the Heat, but suddenly there's a lot more heat back in Cleveland.

According to the Associated Press, the Rev. Jesse Jackson is upset with an open letter written by Cleveland Cavs owner Dan Gilbert after his star player decided to move to Miami. The bitter comments directed toward the free agent sound like they're directed at a "runaway slave," according to Jackson.

Gilbert's letter, addressed to his team's fans, derided James as "narcissistic" and claimed that he "deserted" Cleveland.

The AP left messages for Gilbert, the Cavaliers, James and the NBA on Sunday night for reaction to Jackson, who said the comments in the letter "personify a slave master mentality" and that Gilbert should face a "challenge" from the league.

Comments

[Alouisious Manfree]

10:23 PM on 07/15/2010

Typical Je$$e Jack$on. He'll be pissed until the Cavs owner offers to "donate" some cash to one of Jack$ons shell charities that he sponges money from to finance his elaborate life style. (Just ask Coke, or Budwieser) Does this man actually have a job, or even a congregation? Or is his sole occupation causing hate and discontent where ever he can?

[jusDAfax]

01:55 AM on 07/14/2010

Dan Gilbert's letter was an adolescent tantrum from a brat that didn't get his way.
It was unprofessional, unwise and a big favor to James who really did feel guilty
about leaving.

When Jesse Jackson dropped the 'runaway slave' bomb in response, he entered
the same ridiculous sandbox as Gilbert. Furthermore, he harms his credibility
(when asked to comment) the next time a legitimate incident on race occurs.

To me, Gilbert's rant & Jackson's reply both live on Stupidity Lane, right next
to the homes of people like Mr. Beck & Mrs. Palin.

[pgurlatl]

09:22 PM on 07/13/2010

And where is the outrage about Zydrunas Ilgauskas, the 7-3 center who has spent his 12-year career with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and has now agreed to join James and the Miami Heat?

There won't be any.

[BPotts]

03:58 PM on 07/14/2010

You mean the Zydrunas Ilgauskus that:

1. Is 35 years old and played the first 12 years of his career with the Cavs (rather than the 25 year old who played 7 years)?

2. Waived a no-trade clause to take a momentary trip to Washington only to be dropped and resign with the Cavaliers, so that the Cavaliers could add the scoring forward that Lebron was demanding?

3. Would likely not have even started for the Cavs?

4. Was incredibly devoted and helpful to the Cleveland community?

5. Did not have an hour long special with which he announced his decision?

6. Immediately notified Cavs management when he had made his decision, rather than making a decision two years ago, and not telling anyone until a self-aggrandizing ESPN special?

The lack of outrage couldn't be due to those facts. It must be because of his race.

[HawaiiShira]

05:34 PM on 07/13/2010

Jesse Jackson expressed what many others were privately thinking. Most professional players' dreams are to win a championship. They understand that their pursuit of the prize is only realized if they are with a team that has prepared itself by assembling the best players, and that they individually remain healthy.

Lebron fulfilled his contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers, without an NBA championship. He with other NBA players, realized they could utilize their free-agency synergy to achieve a goal. It was a genius, albeit poorly executed plan, way past what owners expected.

And to that end, Jesse Jackson was right. What LeBron & the other 3 players did, was put the NBA owners on notice. The players empowered themselves to make a choice that would help increase their odds of achieving their ultimate goal, an NBA championship. It was a genius move, and I agree with Mr. Jackson, it was akin to a "slave uprising" in the (subconscious) mind of the owner.

The Cleveland Cavalier owner couldn't help himself, out of the abundance of his heart, his mouth spoke It was inflammatory, defamatory and ill-advised. Other players have taken note. I think his comments enraged the Commissioner because Stern realizes that every year from now on more than one player's contract will expire, and the smart ones will take a page out of LeBron's book. It may not be as poorly executed, but players are going to realize that free agency synergy is powerful!! Stay tuned.

[Paul The Octopus]

06:51 PM on 07/13/2010

Agreed and fanned! The Octopus has spoken!

[pgurlatl]

06:55 PM on 07/13/2010

Fanned as well.

[Greg Thrasher]

03:15 PM on 07/13/2010

It was timely and correct for Jesse Jackson to condemned the petty and offensive remarks by Dan Gilbert after Lebron James decided he did not want to work for Gilbert into perpetuity.

I hope people will continue to insert where appropriate American slavery references when the situations calls for such dialogue. I reject the defensive posturing which suggests we should only talk about slavery during Black history month or when a iconic Black historical leader is recognized for an event or birthday. Our nation should learn from our two domestic holocausts.

The lessons of history however deplorable and sensitive it is should never been censored or suffer the prohibition of awkwardness and political correctness. People who seek to run from the horrors of slavery reward the cowards who market in denial and give quarter to those who fear our nation's raw truth.

Always a witness...

[cdiasmd]

05:17 PM on 07/13/2010

Paying 67 million dollars over seven years to play a game is truly "slave wages". It was another attempt at emperor Jackson to insert himself to feel important. Race baiting at its worst.

[Alexander2791]

01:54 PM on 07/13/2010

It would be of interest to know Jesse's opinion of Charles Krauthammer's WaPost editorial about Obama. I am sharing mine here. As a rabid progressive and an independent who voted for Obama, I have to admit that Charles may have some element of truth in his analysis. It is because Obama has tried too often, yet elusively, to co-opt the likes of Charles by inviting him and other conservative reporters like D Brooks etc to WH dinners, that those individuals come out with unchanged but vicious opinions about him and his bloated idea of self-importance. Obama is essentially a very meek president surrounded by sycophants and lobbyists and in constant fear of "confronting" his rivals, as recently stated by his own democratic leader, Senator Reed, and always willing to please/placate his enemies. I am willing to bet that people like Reverend Jackson and his likes have not been invited yet to WH because Obama has been assiduously keeping a safe distance from those black leaders that he and many of his advisers find too controversial, while openly courting members of the religious right. This is the reward for all his courtship of conservatives and thinking that he is smarter than the latter.

[Alexander2791]

01:58 PM on 07/13/2010

I mean elements of the religious right like Rev. Billy Graham.

[Robert Ian]

01:23 PM on 07/13/2010

Jesse, I love you, and your odd sense of humor. Though when you're telling a joke you have to work on the timing, or people don't get the punchline.

[Ohioan4truth]

12:50 PM on 07/13/2010

WARNING!!!! WARNING!!!!

Do not give you loyalty, time or money to a sports player!

They could hreak your heart when the grass LQQks greener somewhere else and leave all the effort you pour into rooting for them behind like a used hanky.


Hey, that's reminds me........I need to make my alimony payment!

[TJwineman]

05:56 AM on 07/13/2010

What I'm saying is....It's none of his freaking business. Lebron did what Lebron wanted to do. That's all that matters, and yes when ANY man signs an exclusive contract, he is generally thought of as property. Steve Nash, Dirk Navitsky, are white and the same can be said about them. This is just R ace baiting, pure and simple.

[alanposting]

03:44 AM on 07/13/2010

Poor Jesse, so few things he can be critical about now...they must have his box lid on very tight....must go back to the rainbow coalition money scandal. Have not heard much from him about the dems blocking the unemployment benefits, throwing the bankers in jail or really anything else. Poor poor Jesse, and to think I voted for him for President...SF being the only city that he carried. Almost forgot, isn't he also the product of the Chicago democratic machine...that says it all.

[jasev01]

02:40 AM on 07/13/2010

What ever Jesse thats nonsense

[majoman]

01:47 AM on 07/13/2010

I still can't get over Jackson's blatant attempt to play the race card.

First of all, a slave is someone who is forced to work for nothing. A "runaway slave" is one who runs away to gain his freedom.

Lebron earns more than practically everybody on the planet. Lebron was never forced to stay in Cleveland -- he could have left anytime he wanted.

If these two points are true Jackson was using a metaphor with no basis in truth -- a metaphor meant to mislead.

It's called "playing the race card": accusing whites of racism where no evidence of any exists and this is contemptible as it gets.

It's also demeaning to Lebron. It suggests he's too stupid to realize he was working for a racist -- a person (Gilbert) who thought him inferior, that he needed Jackson to tell him this.

We should no longer let Jackson get away with self-serving crap like this. His history of enriching himself by maligning white people goes back 40 years.

At the end of the day it's also extortion -- a scheme designed to force his targets into giving him money for one of his fake charities.

[Paul The Octopus]

06:55 PM on 07/13/2010

Now, now majoman! There's a big difference between accusing someone to be a racist and accusing someone to have a SLAVE OWNER MENTALITY, isn't there? You're welcome! The Octopus Has Spoken!

[BitterBosh]

05:24 AM on 07/14/2010

Not when your someone who throws around accusations of racism like confetti.

[BitterBosh]

05:25 AM on 07/14/2010

You're welcome! The Bosh Has Spoken!

[acajoe]

10:49 PM on 07/12/2010

David Stern and the NBA fined Gilbert and the CLeveland Cavaliers $100,000 for that statement. Yeah go ahead keep defending him.

[acajoe]

10:46 PM on 07/12/2010

David Stern at the NBA fined the Cleveland Cavaliers 100,000 for that statement Gilbert made. You all Gilbert are out of your minds. It was wrong period. ahahahahahahahahaha!!!

BTW Jackson didn't say a thing about race. You all are brainwashed into thinking black=slave and white=slavemaster.

[Paul The Octopus]

06:58 PM on 07/13/2010

Thank you for bringing some sense into this acajoe! I know right, slave=black! That says a lot about the mentality of some here. Hmm...Yet they will be the first to scream that racism is over! Interesting. Sometimes it takes something as silly as a Billionaire throwing a tantrum like a spoiled brat to reveal the true colors of some!

[Kenneth Webb]

10:34 PM on 07/12/2010

Jesse Jackson needs to sit down somewhere. He is unnecessarily stoking racial tension where there was none. The Cavs owner is mad not because Lebron is black, but b/c his money train is leaving for Miami.

[pgurlatl]

10:41 PM on 07/12/2010

Yes kind of like how slave owners get mad when slaves run away for a better life. It was a comparison and it was fitting. Jesse didn't mention race but everyone else did.

[ajb23]

10:47 PM on 07/12/2010

It's Bush's fault

[Anton1]

01:40 AM on 07/13/2010

You say "slave owners get mad" in the present tense. Do you know any slave owners, or are you just assuming to know how a slave owner might have thought? The comparison is completely rediculous unless you know of any slaves that get paid $21,000 an hour plus endorsements. If that's slavery, count me in! The sad part is Jesse Jackson, and other American-Africans, are the people comparing him to a "runaway-slave". Ludicrous.