Both LeBron James and The Undertaker are stalwarts of their respective fields. However, there was one instance when the American professional basketball player didn’t meet the Phenom.
The incident took place in 2016 when WWE was invited by the Cavaliers to watch their game. It was the opening night of that year’s NBA season. The Undertaker along with many other superstars went to watch the match after being invited.
The Cavaliers were to face the Knicks at Cleaveland. In the previous season, James had worn a custom Undertaker t-shirt.
After the match, the Deadman went up to the locker room and stood outside the same, waiting to meet LeBron James. The multi-time WWE champion waited for an hour outside the locker room. However, there was no sign of the 4-time NBA winner.
The explanation from Cleveland.com’s Joe Vardon was as follow:
“Here’s a life lesson. If you don’t have an appointment, don’t already know James personally, aren’t a business associate or a small child, the odds of “meeting” James before or after a Cavs game in or near the locker room are not great. I once saw Houston Astros stud second baseman Jose Altuve try to get a meeting with James after a game against the Houston Rockets in Texas. The request came through various team PR officials. Let’s just say James had no interest.“
“Another rule. James is not cool with someone purposefully trying to make money or gain fame through him, away from the court. In other words, no PR stunts that don’t benefit James. He wore an Undertaker T-shirt. For him, that’s enough.”
WWE and the Undertaker weren’t thrilled. They had been invited by James’s own team so they had expected more friendly behavior from their host team’s star player.
While some other players did go out to meet Undertaker and company like Kevin Love and more but James gave it a skip altogether.
A WWE spokesperson back the had said: “The Cavs invited WWE to the game and paid for the appearance. As their guests, we were gladly fulfilling their request to meet the team.”
The Undertaker will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on April 1 by long-time friend Vince McMahon
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