Shawn Marion should have been happy after Cleveland’s wins over New York and then last night at Toronto, but a question from a reporter forced a bizarre answer from the veteran.
MARION: IF YOU’RE NOT NICE TO US THEN WE’LL BE ASSHOLES
Shawn Marion was asked by a reporter about head coach David Blatt’s gregarious personality, and seemingly smooth handling of the media so far this season? Fair question, right?
Via SLAM Online:
“Most guys are really nice to reporters. I think it just depends if you’re nice to the [players] or not. If you’re nice to the guys, they’ll be nice to you. If you’re not nice, we’ll be assholes to you,” Marion said, laughing and smiling.
“I speak the truth. I’m not going to sit here and bite my tongue for nobody. I’m a grown-ass man. [Laughs] I understand that sometimes you’ve got to be politically correct to a certain degree but if you respect me, I’ll respect you, too. I think when you try to, you know, bad mouth people or say things to get us to say things that ain’t true, it puts a bad taste in your mouth.
I understand y’all are trying to find a story. Sometimes, y’all just trying to pick, throw something out there to get something. If it’s not there, it’s not there. I’ve had some crazy shit happen. I’ll be like, ‘Are you fuckin’ serious?’ I’ll be like, ‘Let me ask you that question.’”
After declining to share the craziest question he’s ever been asked in his NBA career, Marion ended his rant with this:
“I understand y’all here. I understand, I look good. [Laughs] Not much I can do about that. It’s God-given ability. That’s just what it is.”
The media circus surrounding the Cavaliers will only intensify as we get deeper into the season. Here’s hoping someone keeps a live mic on Marion at all times.
JOAKIM NOAH HAS A STUNT DOUBLE
Could the Chicago Bulls’ big man Joakim Noah be an amateur dermatologist?
Introducing:
MAGIC PRAISES LEBRON SOCIAL VIEWS
As protests continue regarding the terrible tragedy in Ferguson, Missuri, former NBA star Magic Johnson has praised LeBron James for his vocal stance on matters.
Via ESPN:
“They have to get involved socially,” Johnson said Friday at The Giant of Africa, a benefit organized by Toronto Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri to honor the late former South African president and Nobel Peace Prize winner Nelson Mandela on the first anniversary of his death. “They have to because it affects them, too. And it affects their families. They grew up in these situations; they must not forget that. They [were] once poor, they went to inner-city schools that didn’t have technology or computers, they didn’t have good books. See, I went through that whole situation. They went through that as well. A lot of their cousins are still going through that, so they must not forget that. I hope that they would do more.
“But you see LeBron. LeBron is a great example of doing a wonderful job. When this first came out, when you think about everything that he stood up for — the Donald Sterling thing, when that mess happened, just now with these young people being shot down unarmed, he’s been right out front, so I’ve got to give him a lot of credit. If he’s out front being the best player, then the other guys usually follow the best guy.”
On several occasions over the past two weeks, James has not shied away from questions about the social unrest stemming from the deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, Eric Garner in New York and 12-year-old Tamir Rice in Cleveland, which all came at the hands of police officers.
“It’s a sensitive subject right now,” James said Thursday. “Violence is not the answer, and retaliation isn’t the solution. As a society, we just have to do better. I pray for the families of the lost ones.”
