*In the aftermath of Amanda Nunes’ 1st round 48-second beatdown of Ronda Rousey at UFC 207 on Friday (12-30-16), many athletes and celebs are taking to social media to offer their support — including LeBron James.
The NBA champ explained to the Akron Beacon Journal why he can empathize with Rousey’s defeat, because he was once in a similar position:
“In sports, in general, they build you up as high as they can, put you on the highest mountain in the world, just to tear you down. That’s coming from somebody who has experienced it. And that’s exactly what she’s going through right now,” James told the Beacon Journal on Saturday. “That’s a fact. I know exactly how she feels because I was that athlete. I went through that.”
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James added, “You don’t know her mindset. You don’t know the drive, is the drive still there? You don’t know,” James said. “But you can tell that it’s built and built and built and built and built, they always make the teardown story more important than how long it took for her to actually get to the mountaintop.”
James is referring to his infamous move from Cleveland to Miami, which sparked outrage and made him the subject of countless ridicule. In spite of this, James still handled his media obligations, even after suffering a loss.
When LeBron lost to the Warriors without two of his best teammates, he stepped into the media room and spoke for almost 30 minutes, per Black Sports Online.
Rousey did not address the media after her humiliating loss, and fans find this troubling. Many believe she deserves to be criticized for not maintaining a professional attitude during UFC 207.
LeBron’s feelings about Rousey are shared by former Lakers star Kobe Bryant, who took to Twitter to slam critics of her career-ending loss.
“Instead of clapping for @RondaRousey’s defeat, give her a standing O for putting the sport on the map #pioneer #muse,” Bryant tweeted.
@kobebryant @RondaRousey That’s real! Bravo! Even the greatest lose.
— Wallace Smith (@WallaceSmith007) December 31, 2016
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