LeBron James criticized for his demeanor at son’s game

In comments that are sure to raise the ire of Lakers fans and of LeBron James in particular, Fox Sports’ Jason Whitlock said James is using his son to get media coverage and promote himself over his son.

James was recently at his son Bronny’s AAU game in Las Vegas. He cheered loudly at the game, took part in the pre-game layup line and went crazy after Bronny sealed the victory with a slam dunk.

In a segment of his show “Speak for Yourself,” Whitlock said, “It’s inappropriate. It points to how much fame has inevitably changed LeBron over the past decade. Fame is a drug more potent and dangerous than cocaine. LeBron is a fame and social media junkie. He moved to Los Angeles looking for a better high.”

You can possibly make a case that LeBron got a little carried away after the dunk. He stepped onto the court from his endline seat and gestured toward his son. But I’m pretty sure the fans in attendance didn’t mind him taking part in the layup line, and the rest of the cheering was just a father supporting his son. If LeBron weren’t famous, no one would have cared, other than to ask, “Who’s that older gentleman doing layups with the kids?”

Next time, he should just sit in his seat and golf clap any time his son does something. It’s almost like Whitlock is jumping on this in order to get media coverage for himself and promote his brand. Oh, wait.....

Your favorite sports moment

What is your favorite all-time L.A. sports moment? Click here to tell me what it is and why, and it could appear in a future Morning Briefing. And yes, if your favorite moment is about the Angels or Ducks or a team just outside of L.A., I’ll count that too.

Today’s moment comes from Monroe DeVos of Middleville, Ga.:

“My father was stationed at Fort Irwin, Calif. in the early 60‘s and we lived in the middle of nowhere on an Army base in the Mojave Desert. You can imagine my thrill when I learned that our Little League team was going to the new Dodger Stadium on June 15, 1963 to see the Dodgers play the Chicago Cubs.

“I still remember at 9 years old the excitement of seeing my first major league game in person. Heck.... we didn’t even have a TV so I didn’t know what a big league stadium looked like other than from pictures.

“I remember the score of the greatest L.A. Sports moment I ever witnessed. 4-1. But what I remember the most was when we looked up at the scoreboard and it said, ‘Welcome Fort Irwin Little League Team.’ I could swear, and will always remember, that it really said, ‘Welcome Monroe DeVos.’

“Right field, 14 rows up. The Dodgers have had a special place in my heart since that wonderful day.”

Farewell party

Carmelo Anthony, currently not signed with any team, wants a farewell tour of the NBA. He may never get another opportunity to play for an NBA team, but his personal trainer says the 10-time All-Star will savor every last second of it if he does.

Anthony’s trainer, Chris Brickley, appeared on 105.1 FM in New York on Wednesday and said, “I think teams are afraid of, ‘I want to be a starter,’ or, ‘I want this.’ That’s not the case, though. Melo just wants to have a final season, have a farewell season, do what [Dwyane] Wade did. Do the jersey swap. He had a great career, he’s a Hall of Famer. So hopefully that can happen.”

And why hasn’t Anthony signed with anyone?

“He’s easily better with 60%, 70% of NBA players walking around,” Brickley said. “If you remember, [Allen] Iverson kind of got, some people say, blackballed. He got into a situation in his career, where teams would be like, ‘Oh, he’s gonna want this role, so we’re gonna stay away.’ I think that’s what’s going on with Melo right now.”