3 years ago, LeBron James called out Rob Manfred, as MLB commissioner signed 4-year extension worth $70 million in July
LeBron James has been vocal about his opinions, even outside of his sport. Three years ago, he took a shot at polarizing MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, who inked a four-year extension worth $70 million this July over his approach to the Houston Astros' sign-stealing scandal. The four-time NBA champion joined other players in calling out Manfred on social media.
For those unaware, the Astros sign-stealing scandal resulted in members of the team using technology to steal the signs of opposing teams during the 2017 and 2018 seasons.
James took to Twitter (now X) to slam Manfred, asking him to fix the game.
"Listen I know I don't play baseball but I am in Sports and I know if someone cheated me out of winning the title and I found out about it I would be f---ing irate! I mean like uncontrollable about what I would/could do! Listen here baseball commissioner listen to your players speaking today about how disgusted, mad, hurt, broken, etc etc about this.
"Literally the ball is in your court(or should I say field) and you need to fix this for the sake of Sports! #JustMyThoughtsComingFromASportsJunkieRegardlessMyOwnSportIPlay"
According to ESPN, the MLB investigation that ensued confirmed that the Astros did indeed cheat by using "camera-based signs" during the regular season and the playoffs during their series-winning 2017 season and for a good portion of the following edition as well.
This resulted in the league suspending team GM Jeff Luhnow and manager AJ Finch for the 2020 season and also slapped a $5 million fine along with removing the team of four of their draft picks. Team owner Jim Crane fired the duo of Luhnow and Finch soon after the scandal.
While no other players were punished since Manfred had promised them immunity as part of the MLB's investigation, there were no plans to strip the Astros' title and that led to major flak from the baseball community toward the commissioner.
LeBron James loves baseball and even made a suggestion to the NBA to have players mic'd up like they do in MLB
In what comes as a unique move, the MLB has mic'd up players, which has surely made headlines for the generation of some quality entertainment. LeBron James wanted the NBA to take a similar route to maintain the attention of the fans.
Yahoo! Sports MLB showed how infielder Miguel Rojas was quite the entertainer during a game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants, and that had James excited and hoping that something similar could be done in the NBA.
While the NBA does mic up its players, there's no communication between the players and the commentators, so imagine LeBron James having a bit of fun with the commentators as he barrels his way to the basket.
There's no doubt that the four-time NBA champion loves baseball. From actively following what's happening in the sport to sharing his opinions, even if it meant lambasting the MLB commissioner.