Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

LeBron Tepid On Team USA

He's been studying Mandarin, but may not be heading to Beijing

By Jesse Andrews, Newser User

Posted Apr 3, 2007 10:23 PM CDT

(Newser) – In Beijing next year, basketball's Team USA may be missing one of the sport's most familiar faces. For flaky-sounding reasons, LeBron James has let it be known that he is "50-50" for the upcoming Tournament of the Americas, an Olympic qualifier, and Jerry Colangelo, the man putting the team together, is not thrilled.

Colangelo responded that no-shows would require a "legitimate reason" for their absence if indeed they want to go to Beijing. LeBron, the prodigiously talented and marketable Cavaliers swingman, has career goals of becoming the first billionaire athlete as well as a "global icon." That includes studying Mandarin, to become even more of a pop icon in China.

SPORTS BKN-CAVALIERS-BULLS 2 TB (KRT Photos)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

LeBron Sprain Rattles Team USA

Forward leaves Olympic practice after injuring right ankle

(NEWSER) - Team USA got a shock last night when LeBron James sprained his right ankle in a practice scrimmage in a high school gym, reports the Los Angeles Times. Team officials said it was a minor injury, but the star will be carefully evaluated today. His Beijing-bound teammates were optimistic James would bounce back in time for Team USA's Olympic opener against China August 10. More»

LeBron Will Host SNL Premier

King James will be live from New York

(NEWSER) - NBA superstar LeBron James will host this September's premier of Saturday Night Live, NBC said yesterday. The 22-year-old, who took the Cleveland Cavaliers to a franchise-first NBA Finals last season, got good reviews recently for co-hosting the ESPYs with comedian Jimmy Kimmel. More»

Boos Can't Keep LeBron Down

Miami Heat crush Cleveland Cavaliers

(NEWSER) - Turns out it takes more than boos to win a basketball game. Because Cleveland Cavalier fans definitely delivered a flawless booing performance last night—raining down jeers like, “Akron hates you!” and “Scot-tie Pip-pen!”—and it wasn’t enough. LeBron James played spectacularly, racking up a season-high 38 points to lead the hated Heat to an easy 118-90 victory, the New York Times reports. More»

Cavs Hire Firm to Probe LeBron Signing

Cleveland 'not letting go' of suspicions against Heat

(NEWSER) - The Cleveland Cavaliers think the Miami Heat violated tampering rules in their pursuit of LeBron James, and they're spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to prove it. Cavs owner Dan Gilbert has hired a Midwestern law firm to investigate the courtship, sources tell Yahoo! Sports . He intends to build up a healthy pile of evidence from all the way back to 2008 before he requests an NBA investigation. More»

LeBron Mural Coming Down in Cleveland

10-story-tall Nike ad just doesn't make sense anymore

(NEWSER) - Cleveland is moving on with life: Workers today began removing an enormous mural of LeBron James from a downtown building, reports CBS4 . The Nike ad is 10 stories tall and has been a fixture of the Cleveland skyline for a few years. It's so big that workers will spend all of today on the job and may not finish. "We are removing the LeBron James Witness mural in downtown Cleveland and expect the process to be completed within a few days," a Nike spokesman tells AP . More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

LeBron Tepid On Team USA

He's been studying Mandarin, but may not be heading to Beijing

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

sports • NBA • basketball • LeBron James • Team USA • Cleveland Cavaliers • Jerry Colangelo • 2008 Beijing Olympics • Tournament of the Americas • Olympic Games

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

LeBron Sprain Rattles Team USA

Forward leaves Olympic practice after injuring right ankle

LeBron Will Host SNL Premier

King James will be live from New York

Boos Can't Keep LeBron Down

Miami Heat crush Cleveland Cavaliers

Cavs Hire Firm to Probe LeBron Signing

Cleveland 'not letting go' of suspicions against Heat

LeBron Mural Coming Down in Cleveland

10-story-tall Nike ad just doesn't make sense anymore

About Us

Site

Newser By Users

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?

LeBron Tepid On Team USA

He's been studying Mandarin, but may not be heading to Beijing

Bookmark & Share

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

sports • NBA • basketball • LeBron James • Team USA • Cleveland Cavaliers • Jerry Colangelo • 2008 Beijing Olympics • Tournament of the Americas • Olympic Games

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

LeBron Sprain Rattles Team USA

Forward leaves Olympic practice after injuring right ankle

LeBron Will Host SNL Premier

King James will be live from New York

Boos Can't Keep LeBron Down

Miami Heat crush Cleveland Cavaliers

Cavs Hire Firm to Probe LeBron Signing

Cleveland 'not letting go' of suspicions against Heat

LeBron Mural Coming Down in Cleveland

10-story-tall Nike ad just doesn't make sense anymore

About Us

Site

Newser By Users

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?