LeBron Book: Teen Fame Made Me a 'Big-Headed Jerk'

By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 23, 2009 9:36 PM CDT
LeBron Book: Teen Fame Made Me a 'Big-Headed Jerk'
LeBron James at the 9th Annual BET Awards in June.   (AP Photo/Matt Sayles, File)

Not every 17-year-old gets on the cover of Sports Illustrated, and LeBron James admits in his upcoming book he had trouble with the instant fame, the Daily News reports. He and his high school teammates became "big-headed jerks," he writes in Shooting Stars. "We are to blame for that, but so are adults who treated us that way and then sat back and smugly watched the self-destruction." Oh, he and his buddies also smoked a little weed, a revelation sure to give the book publicity a little juice.

James says he and his Akron teammates became "rock stars" and loved the attention. "I was arrogant, dubbing myself 'The Chosen One.' In hindsight, I should have kept quiet, but I also was what I was, a teenager where every reporter in the world seemed to be rushing toward me at once." As for the pot, James admits that he and his friends smoked up once after getting access to a local hotel room. The book's out in September.
(More LeBron James stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X