LeBron James' Label as Most Popular NBA Player Justified by Recent Championships

Miami Heat superstar LeBron James was voted as the NBA's most popular player in ESPN's latest poll, as reported by the network's Darren Rovell.

It makes sense that respect and likability have both risen for the game's best player after he took home MVP accolades in both of the past two regular seasons and NBA Finals.

Now that the self-proclaimed "King" has two rings to his name, his popularity increase is suitable.

James has justified his greatness by taking his game to another level in the past two campaigns, which has resulted in the Heat winning back-to-back Larry O'Brien Trophies. He beat out Los Angeles Lakers all-time great Kobe Bryant in the poll by a nose, receiving 12.9 percent of the vote while Bryant garnered 12.5.

Video Credit: ESPN

At the mere age of 28, there is plenty of time for the still-healthy James to add to his accolades in his prime.

Initially when James made the infamous appearance on a TV special known as The Decision, and stated he would take his talents from the Cleveland Cavaliers to South Beach, many were outraged.

As Rovell notes, the 2008-09 season was the last time James was polled as the Association's most popular player. It was also his last in Cleveland, where his percentage of popularity was at 15.6. That number dipped to 10.2 and 9.4 in the past two polls.

Criticism over James' lackluster playoff performances plagued the end of his tenure with the Cavs, and the poignancy didn't decrease after a disappointing showing in the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks.

The Heat lost that series in James' inaugural campaign in Miami, but now the perception of James has taken a complete 180.

There are no doubts as to whether Dwyane Wade or James is the best player on the Heat. It's James' team now, despite Wade's perpetual presence with the organization that drafted him in 2003.

A noticeable adjustment James made was his efficiency and three-point shooting. He posted career highs in field goal percentage (.565), three-point percentage (.402), rebounds (eight per game) and had his second-best assist numbers with an average of 7.3 dimes per contest.

With all the money James has and his incredible physical gifts and talents, he could have rested on his laurels, coasted for several more years and put off figuring out how to win championships for later in his career.

But that isn't what champions do, and it isn't what James did. His evolution as a basketball player is nearly impossible for NBA fans not to appreciate regardless of their perception of him, and it's reflected in the level of popularity James is currently experiencing.

Nike's PR director Heidi Burgett captured the scene of James' recent visit to China:

Who is your favorite NBA player?

Who is your favorite NBA player?

• LeBron James

• Kobe Bryant

• Kevin Durant

• Derrick Rose

• Dwyane Wade

• Other?comment below

Total votes: 1,969

James has always desired to build his brand on a global scale. While it may have detracted from his attention on the court as the early phase of his career progressed, the glamor has certainly seemed to take a backseat.

At the forefront for James now are the blood, sweat and tears toward the single accomplishment that earns the highest praise from fans.

Winning.

The best basketball player on the planet has learned to do just that with his second NBA team, and observers have adjusted accordingly.

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1718717-lebron-james-label-as-most-popular-nba-player-justified-by-recent-championships

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JOBS | Passionate about the persecuted? Why not work for them? ICC is #hiring a...

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Watch out! 'Golden Sisters' learn to drive again

TV

Anna Chan TODAY

3 hours ago

Stay off the roads! The "Golden Sisters" are learning how to drive again in the show's season finale, and TODAY.com has an exclusive look at the white-knuckle event.

It's been almost 40 years since Mary has driven, but Josie and Terry have convinced their sister to get behind the wheel again and renew her long-expired driver's license. But as the clip shows, Mary's driving lesson is hardly smooth with her two constant companions in the car.

"You know, I'm really nervous driving the car with my backseat sisters ... telling me how to drive," Mary admits to the cameras. "For sure I'm going to crash!"

With Josie and Terry screaming for Mary to turn the steering wheel this way and that, to hit the brakes and generally freaking out during the lesson, it's no wonder the practically new driver is nervous. But the backseat sisters have reason to worry too.

When Terry advises Mary to "put her signal on," Mary replies, "What's a signal?"

Fortunately, there were no collisions and little damage -- except to a few garbage bins, a curb and a probably their Jaguar's hubcabs.

The season finale of "Golden Sisters" airs Saturday at 9 p.m. on OWN.

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/watch-out-golden-sisters-are-learning-drive-again-6C10607170

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Coach search showed program allure

However Hughes was contacted by OU. The OU baseball job is one of the top 20 in the country. Couple that with OU's reputation for pay scale (mostly from Stoops) and I can see lots of interest. What has made the OU job during the Cochell years not as attractive was the baseball camps. Several of these programs make lots of money off their camps as outside income and particularly the assistants. Ryan Gaines has really ramped up OU's camps under Golloway.

This post was edited by SoonerPeace on 7/12/2013 at 10:34 AM

Source: http://oklahoma.247sports.com/Article/Coach-search-showed-Joe-Castiglione-baseball-programs-interest-138781

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Texas Chainsaw 3D Duo Acquire Day of the Dead Remake Rights

Back in 2004 'Man of Steel' director Zack Snyder successfully remade George A. Romero's 'Dawn of the Dead', a feat many thought unaccomplishable. So to acknowledge that Lati Grobman and Christa Campbell ('Drive Angry') have their work cut out for them in attempting to redo Romero's zombie follow-up 'Day of the Dead' is an understatement. The pair have acquired the rights to the original and "...want to keep it as close to the Romero version as possible," Campbell told the LA Times. So completely bypassing the horrid Steve Miner attempt back in 2008, which ironically Christa (below) herself starred in. The pair also exec produced this years 'Texas Chainsaw 3D' sequel and the upcoming Edgar Allen Poe adaptation 'Eliza Graves'.

The hunt for a writer to pen the script to the 'Day of the Dead' remake is now on.

Christa Campbell

---

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HorrorAsylumNews/~3/zkQx_nkUjeA/article.asp

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Which country has the worst airport delays in the world?

Hint: It's not Chicago O'Hare or Atlanta in the US.

By Peter Ford,?Staff Writer / July 12, 2013

Passengers queue up for a security check at Pudong International Airport in Shanghai, China, Jan. 20, 2012. China's airlines and airports continue to have the worst flight delays in the world.

Eugene Hoshiko/AP/File

Enlarge

Chinese airline passengers, who have a reputation for losing it in dramatic fashion, can now feel vindicated. Beijing?s airport has the worst punctuality record in the world. And Shanghai is close behind.

Skip to next paragraph Peter Ford

Beijing Bureau Chief

Peter Ford is The Christian Science Monitor?s Beijing Bureau Chief. He covers news and features throughout China and also makes reporting trips to Japan and the Korean peninsula.

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Only 18 percent of flights took off from Beijing?s Capital Airport on time in June, according to a just-released survey of the world?s 35 busiest airports. And 42 percent of them left more than three quarters of an hour late.

Shanghai?s Pudong International Airport had a punctuality rate of 29 percent, the US company FlightStats.com said in its report.

That will not be news to many of the 82 million passengers who passed through Beijing Airport last year, making it the second busiest air hub in the world (after Atlanta). Long waits at airports here are routine and Chinese passengers are growing increasingly less likely to put up with them.

Especially when nobody tells them what is going on, which is usually the case.

Three weeks ago, angry Air China passengers who had found themselves stranded for 24 hours at the Three Gorges airport, either because of bad weather or because of mechanical problems, depending on who was doing the explaining, gathered in a crowd to block passengers from boarding another Air China flight.

Last year, frustrated passengers at two different airports rushed the tarmac, preventing planes from landing or taking off, in protest at the way they had been treated while their flights were delayed.

The stormy weather at this time of year does not help, but the main problems are?the huge increase in air traffic as Chinese citizens take to the air instead of traveling by train, and the lack of available airspace.

Air traffic figures have been rising by over 10 percent a year for some time, and the Civil Aviation Authority of China expects China?s fleet of commercial aircraft to double to 4,200 planes by 2020, according to its chief Wang Liya.

But the People?s Liberation Air Force controls almost all of China?s airspace, and allots only 20 percent to commercial aviation, which makes delays almost inevitable.

The Beijing-Shanghai route is by far the most congested and prone to outrageous delays ? it is generally quicker to take the high-speed train than to fly the 670 miles that separate the two cities.

But provincial airports haven?t got much to boast about either, according to the FlightStats report. None of the Chinese airports surveyed could get even half their flights off the ground on time ? which FlightStats takes to mean ?within 15 minutes of scheduled departure.?

Getting passengers airborne is not the only thing Beijing Airport is slow about. When I rang the airport spokesman to ask why he thought Beijing came bottom of the rankings, he did not exactly hop to it.?

?Fax me your question,? he said, ?and we will answer in two or three days.??

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/csmonitor/globalnews/~3/yB6rv78kWzQ/Which-country-has-the-worst-airport-delays-in-the-world

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Video: Unused oil rig morphs into underwater Garden of Eden

Critics say Smithfield Foods takeover threatens U.S. food safety

Smithfield Foods, the largest pork producer in America, is set to be sold to its Chinese equivalent, Shaunghui. Supporters of the deal say it would increase U.S. exports to China, while critics say it could threaten America's food safety. Wyatt Andrews reports.

Source: http://feeds.cbsnews.com/~r/CBSNewsEveningNews/~3/C1tfsaDAd-8/

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