LeBron James was spreading his empire to Taiwan this week for a Nike event when he found himself in a game of 5-5 with some vertically challenged local products.

LeBron went all dribble-athon before the Taiwanese player stripped him off the ball, dribbled the length of the court, and dunked on LeBron as King James tried to block the shot.

Quite the athletic play by the young lad.

James then overcompensated by rushing the ball up the court, traveled 4 steps, and then threw it off his teammate out of bounds.

No word from Nike or local officials if this was in the 4th quarter of the game or not.

Watch the Video Above!

ESPN NFL analyst Merril Hoge was scathing in his opinion of Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow earlier tonight on ESPN.

Some would argue that Hoge was just doing his job while others thought he was just looking for ways to slam Tebow.

Merril slammed Tebow on Twitter in this fashion:

“Sitting watching tape off bronco offense from last year! Orton or Tebow? It’s embarrassing to think the broncos could win with tebow!!”

Hoge had the following to add about Tebow on ESPN:

“He is awful as far as accuracy goes and what’s kind of even more disturbing, he’s probably worse moving and running around with the football and throwing than he is from the pocket,” Hoge said. “Can you get better there? A little bit. If everything is perfect, the pocket, your feet are good, all your fundamentals come into place, the coverage is what you want it, you can be successful. But that doesn’t happen at the National Football League. Rarely does that happen.”

Tebow sarcastically thanked Hoge via Twitter:

Hey Merril…… ‘ppreciate that

Then unexpectedly LeBron James unleashed a series of tweets in Tim’s defense:

Tim Tebow will succeed in the NFL. He’s a hard worker, a student of the game, a natural born leader and most of all a WINNER! It takes time and he’ll be nice

Listened to Merril Hoge today on SC and he was just blasting Tebow. The man hasn’t even play a full season and its only his 2nd year in.

Guys get on that TV and act like they was all WORLD when they played. How bout encouraging him and wishing him the best instead of hating!!

James is right though. Tim has been successful at nearly everything he has performed in life, even down to helping give circumcisms in the Phillipines while doing missionary work.

Tebow has just played his rookie year and showed promise over the three games he started. He also showed that he had a lot of work to do as well to complete the transition to the NFL.  It’s also hard to believe that anyone out there is outworking Tim Tebow in the offseason or in-season.

Nice PR move by LeBron for the deeply beloved Tebow.  But in some ways Tebow is very polarizing and might have taken the polarizing QB mantle from the on-again, off-again retired Brett Favre.

The NBA Finals seemed to take the untouchability off of LeBron James as he faltered and became the joke of sportswriters and sports fans across the globe.

James display of mortality seemed to open up the inner comedian in everyone.

Now even fellow players, fellow NBA All-Stars, don’t hold back in taking cracks at the aptly mis-titled ‘King.’

Orlando Magic star center Dwight Howard joked on Twitter yesterday about LeBron’s receding hairline.

Howard tweeted a series of ‘planking’ photos, including one of him planking while his barber trimmed his hair.

Howard’s barber, Kevin Tyler, then tweeted an @reply to Howard that stated, “You better stop before your shape up looks like Lebrons.”

Dwight then immediately replied via twitter to Tyler, “lol he took his talents to south beach and left his hairline in Cleveland lol.”

Funny line by Howard but not something many, if any NBA players, would have publicly stated a year ago when James was held in such high reverence.

LeBron will likely get the last laugh though.  Howard, with his lack of rings and premature exit from the 2011 NBA Playoffs, should be careful joking about royalty, even as misguided as the crown might be.

Lebron James thought he was going to his dream team.  He had grown tired of languishing in Cleveland.  So tired that he made a spectacle out of his leaving, creating enough hype for an hour-long media farce he called “The Decision.”  He wanted to play for a winner, and a winner he found in the Miami Heat.  The combination of Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade and himself would be more than enough to power through the NBA regular season and right into a championship.  But Lebron forgot one fundamental piece of that equation; you have to actually play well to win a ring.

On Sunday the Dallas Mavericks celebrated on the Heat’s home court after winning game 6 of the NBA Finals 105-95.  It was what the Mavs’ Jason Terry called “vindication” after the his teams unceremonious exit from the NBA playoffs last year and the fact that the Heat celebrated on Dallas’ home court under reverse circumstances in 2006.

Jason Terry scored 27 points, Nowitzki added 21 and the Mavericks topped the Miami Heat 105-95 in Game 6 of the NBA finals on Sunday night. The Mavericks won four of the series’ last five games, a turnabout that could not have been sweeter after seeing the Heat celebrate their first title in Dallas after Game 6 of the 2006 finals.

(James) scored 21 points for Miami, shook a few hands afterward, and departed before most of the Mavs tugged on their championship hats and T-shirts. Chris Bosh had 19, Mario Chalmers 18 and Dwyane Wade 17 for the Heat.

James will have to wait another season for a chance to win an NBA ring.  he once said that he thought winning a championship would “be easy”.  Now all he has is the bitter taste of lost opportunity in his mouth.  Even in his post-game comments, James has been defiant.  Which goes a long way to proving that he really doesn’t grasp what it takes to be a champion.

[PhotoSource: CNN]

The Dallas Mavericks beat the Miami Heat 112-103 behind 29 points from Nowitzki who had complained about having the flu in Game 4.  Lebron finished the game with 17 points and Wade had to leave due to a hip injury.  Lebron called it a “now or never” game.  Of course, the Heat still has another game to play, one that really is a “now or never”.

Maybe this time he and his teammates will keep their mouths shut so as not to entice the Mavericks to shut them up on the court.

Special Thanks to BlackSportsOnline.com for the video

[PhotoSource: Opposingviews.com]

Lebron James and his girlfriend Savannah Brinson

Eight points in a playoff game?  Something had to be wrong, didn’t it?  Well, Now we might just have the answer.  A reliable source has it from a reliable source that Rashard Lewis slept with LebronJames’ girlfriend while Lewis was in South Beach recently.  That’s usually not a good thing.  According to Hello Beautiful:

I have a very reliable source who clubs and drinks with all of the athletes that come through Orlando. He was all over the Tiger Woods issue and knew what all happened with Tiger prior to it being released publicly. My buddy has a place in Orlando, Lake Nona to be exact, and he lives among some athletes that live there in Orlando. Needless to say he golfs, drinks, and parties with some of the best people in central Florida. So when word got to him while at the bar last night, he called me. Word got out while drinking with friends, that Rashard Lewis slept with Lebrons girl while visiting South Beach.

This seems to jibe with ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith who blamed Lebron’s “poor play” on personal issues.  But, damn, it’s not like you married the girl.  Get up and show some respect for yourself, ‘Bron.  Use it on the court, as they say.  Anyway, sh*t happens.  You’ll be fine.

[PhotoSource: Kimoracochran.com]

Perhaps it was the relief he felt after his Miami Heat beat the Boston Celtics in the second round of the NBA Playoffs – a feat he and his former team never accomplished.  But Lebron James finally decided to apologize to his hometown of Cleveland.  Well, sort of.  He apologized for how it happened but not actually for the entire ordeal.  We’ll let him explain:

“Everything went through my mind at that point. Finally getting over this hump against this team. Everything I went through this summer, with the decision and deciding to come down here to be a part of this team…and all the backlash I got from it,” said during a post conference interview.

“I knew deep down in my heart, as much as I loved my teammates back in Cleveland and as much as I loved home, I knew I couldn’t do it by myself against that team,” he continued.

“The way it panned out with all the friends and family and the fans back home, I apologize for the way it happened,” he said.

Ah, the classic half-apology.  That always makes a jilted lover feel so much better.  People just love hearing “you weren’t good enough for me, and I treated you like crap on the way out.  You’re still not good enough for me, but I’m really sorry for the treating you like crap part.”  Try that tactic sometime and see how far it gets you.

At the same time, Cleveland has to finally move on, forget about Lebron James and find a couple of decent players to take his place.  Of course, once you’ve slept with the prom queen, it’s hard to settle for that mousy girl with braces in your algebra class.

[PhotoSource: Miami Heat Insider]

It’s time for the 2011 Sportscasm NBA Awards.  With any awards list, you will either agree or disagree. This is simply our choices of who we thought the best of the best were in the 2010/11 season.

Runner Up: Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic)

Runner Up: John Wall (Washington Wizards)

Runner Up: Tony Allen (Memphis Grizzlies)

Runner Up: J.R. Smith (Denver Nuggets)

Runner Up: Lionel Hollins (Memphis Grizzlies)

Runner Up: Gar Forman (Chicago Bulls)

• Derrick Rose
• Dwyane Wade
• LeBron James
• Dirk Nowitzki
• Dwight Howard

NBA Second Team

• Chris Paul
• Kobe Bryant
• Kevin Durant
• Zach Randolph
• LaMarcus Aldridge

NBA Third Team

• Russell Westbrook
• Carmelo Anthony
• Pau Gasol
• Kevin Love
• Amar’e Stoudemire

Being Lebron James’ mom certainly has its privileges, including a no-doubt palatial estate in beautiful, posh Cleveland, OH.  However, with great privilege comes, well, at least the basic responsibility of not assaulting you fellow human beings.  Apparently, Gloria James didn’t get that memo.  According to CBS Sports and TMZ:

A police report filed says that James was arrested under the influence of alcohol, and that the charge stemmed from her slapping a valet. Then later she became hostile with the cops.

The cop says the valet explained that he retrieved James’ car and put it on the valet ramp in front of the hotel while Gloria and a female driver stood around talking to people for 30 minutes. Finally, the valet says he turned the car off.

The valet says (Gloria James) then approached him and stated, “Where are my (expletive) keys(?)” and continued yelling profanities at the victim.”

The report explains, “Then for no apparent reason the arrestee struck the victim with an open had [sic] across the right side of his face and in the process causing herself to lose her balance and falling to the ground.”

After (Gloria James) was transported to a nearby police station, the report continues, a shift commander — Lt. Acosta — tried to speak with James who responded, “I’m trying to trust you but I don’t trust your kind … I don’t trust that officer who arrested me.”

Let me get this straight.  Gloria James gets ripped, pimp slaps a valet and then tells the arresting officer the she doesn’t “trust your kind”?  Well, this would seem like bizarre behavior on her part if she didn’t already have a history of acting like a spoiled 13-year-old girl.

This isn’t the first time James’ mother has had trouble. She was last arrested on a DUI charge in 2006, and James famously had to tell his mother to sit down and stop yelling during a game. She’s been at the center of a lot of controversy for James, and this probably won’t help matters. But James continues to stick by her, because she’s all the family he’s got outside of his long-time girlfriend and his two sons.

C’mon, it’s not like anyone’s going to just abandon their Moms because she’s a crazy.  However, that little estate in Cleveland might be the best place for Gloria during the Heat’s playoff run.  It would be a lot less dangerous.  For one thing, there’s gotta be a lot fewer valets to assault than in Miami.

[PhotoSource: ology.com]

LeBron told reporters post-game that he missed the introductions because he was in the bathroom. No, we’re not kidding. From the South Florida Sun-Sentinel: ”I was using the rest room. Am I allowed to do that?”

So, we’re meant to believe that a veteran player who has been a part of hundreds of basketball games since his entry into the NBA eight years ago just misjudged the time?  Misjudged the time at his old place of work where he knew he would get a ‘heated’ reception from his former fans?  Yeah.  We all find that hard to believe.  According to CBS Sports:

James said that he believed that the reception in Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena wouldn’t be as bad as the first time through, when the boos rained down and Cavaliers fans showed up with signs and t-shirts in an attempt to mock and shame him.

When his name was called during player introductions, James was nowhere to be found…According to an ESPN reporter at the game, James did not appear on the Heat bench until the court until the lights were dimmed when the Cavaliers players were being announced.

Apparently, the attempts to ‘mock and shame him’ worked well enough to force King James and his fragile ego to hide out in the head.  It would seem that a bigger man could handle the heat – pun intended.  But it looks like James just couldn’t deal with another symbolic drubbing by the Cleveland faithful.  Of course, what do you expect from a guy who produced his own hour-long signing special that made picking a basketball team sound more important than Truman’s decision to drop the bomb?