This is the controversial statement LeBron James made after the Heat got beat by the Mavs:

“All the people that was rooting on me to fail, at the end of the day, they have to wake up tomorrow and have the same life that they had before they woke up today. They have the same personal problems they had today. I’m going to continue to live the way I want to live and continue to do the things that I want to do with me and my family and be happy with that. They can get a few days or a few months or whatever the case may be on being happy about not only myself, but the Miami Heat not accomplishing their goal. But they have to get back to the real world at some point.”

Sportswriters are excoriating James for this speechlet, using it as proof he’s an egomaniac and a sore sport. The general interpretation of what he said is something like: “I’m LeBron James and you’re nothing but a particle of dust in the universe and I’m rich and you’re not and I’m famous and you’re not and I matter and you don’t and after a while you’ll remember that.”

If that’s what he meant, he’s a twit. But is that really what he said?

I don’t think so.

I read his words like this: “If the best you can do is get off on my failure, I feel sorry for you. If that’s what you’re about your life must be small. At some point, you’ll have to return to that small life. I can live with who I am and what I did.”

Two questions: 1) Which interpretation do you agree with, the general one or mine? 2) If you agree with me, do you still think what James said was out of line?

I know this sounds like a final exam, but I swear I’ll give everyone an “A.”