LeBron James mingles with billionaires but can't deal with dunk video

July 8, 6:57 PMSports ExaminerPaula Duffy

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LeBron and Daniel Gibson, at BET Awards in Los Angeles, AP/Matt Sayles

Today's embarrassing sports-related news, other than the facts out of Nashville that Steve McNair was shot by his mistress while asleep on his couch, center on the attempts to preserve the dignity of LeBron James by sponsor, Nike.

Our Miami Headlines Examiner covers the facts here and suffice it to say that the CBS Sports reporter who posted this story has had a busy day on sports-talk radio.

Until we hear from either Nike or James himself, it will remain unclear which of the two insisted that footage of him being dunked on by a college player from Xavier be confiscated from the camera operator in attendance at James' summer camp. Coupled with his immature and downright rude behavior after the Cavs loss to Orlando in the playoffs, it gives us a picture of this guy as somewhat different from his smiling commercials and respectful media interviews.

But then there's the "Mogul Known As LeBron", who says he wants to be a global icon. According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, he and his team's owner, Dan Gilbert are reported to be on the guest list for another kind of  summer camp, the Allen & Company media-industry soiree, held each year in Sun Valley, Idaho. In attendance are some of the world's richest people including Bill Gates, Warren Buffet. Rupert Murdoch and Sumner Redstone.

TheLos Angeles Times reports that the five-day event provides recreation and hob-nobbing for the more than 250 attendees and their families while they dissect what is in store for the media industry. Of course the true point of it all, at least for someone like LeBron who currently isn't part of the media, is to network with those that can help your business enterprises grow and be more successful.

You'd better expect Gilbert to stick close to his superstar and current NBA MVP. James Dolan of Cablevision will be at the conference and wouldn't that be a sweet time for him to schmooze with James about potentially coming to New York in 2010 to play for the Knicks, a team owned by Cablevision?

What's ironic about this event is that members of the press are not invited to cover it but some of the lucky ones are asked to be guests. In this way, those that aspire to be moguls and others who need the moguls to keep them afloat, can mingle without having to wonder if cell-phone camera shots will appear on the Internet. But then again, even moguls want to be naughty and catch the unsuspecting billionaires at play in bad clothing.

For more info:  Cleveland Cavs Examiner, covers LeBron and the team, here

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