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发帖数: 2009 | 1 CHICAGO — An unruly swarm of cameras, microphones, recording devices and
elbows had engulfed Dwyane Wade when an advisory was issued from outside the
tangle of humanity and technology.
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Michael Perez/Associated Press
LeBron James, left, and Dwyane Wade rarely speak to reporters without the
other present.
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“Save a spot for LeBron!” a Miami Heat public relations staffer yelled. “
He’ll be there momentarily!”
Wade said, chuckling, “Yeah, he got a reservation.”
Bodies parted like the Red Sea, and LeBron James strode into the breach —
taking his place next to Wade as the news media throng settled in for
another installment of the Wade and LeBron Show.
The scene unfolded Tuesday morning in a gymnasium on the University of
Illinois at Chicago campus, where the Heat — which trails the Bulls, 1-0,
in the Eastern Conference finals — held practice.
But it is, by now, a familiar and peculiar portrait: James and Wade standing
, powerfully, shoulder to shoulder on basketball courts from Miami to
Philadelphia and from Boston to Chicago, conducting interviews as an
impenetrable tag team.
When James speaks, Wade listens. When Wade makes a point, James nods. When a
question to Wade is deemed offensive, James grumbles or rolls his eyes.
When an uncomfortable issue arises, the two exchange silent glances before
one speaks on behalf of both.
The Heat superstars insisted on joint postgame interviews from the moment
they became teammates last fall. In recent months, they have extended the
policy to practice days and morning shootarounds, with rare exceptions.
The strategy is unprecedented, and mildly chilling to the information-
gathering process. Reporters assigned regularly to the Heat must walk a fine
line as they try to explore the delicate dynamics between two of the N.B.A.
’s most electrifying players.
This is, of course, what Wade and James want. They have confirmed as much,
saying the setup is another way to support each other — to “have each
other’s backs.”
“Fascinating,” said Kathleen Hessert, the president of Sports Media
Challenge, a reputation-management company based in Charlotte, N.C.
Hessert is a former television reporter who counsels athletes on news media
relations. She marveled at Wade and James’s novel approach to managing the
message.
“Frankly, I think it’s masterful,” she said. “I really do. Because what
they are doing is they are in fact influencing the outcome on the court and
off.”
The tandem interview creates a challenge for reporters, Hessert said, “but
I’m sure that’s what they intended.”
They have largely succeeded, by making routine questions seem almost awkward
.
When James joined Wade last fall, the most pressing concern was how they
would blend their incredible talents — and who would take the critical
shots. As the season unfolded, James missed several crunch-time shots that
in the past would have belonged to Wade. Later in the season, Wade became
the go-to player in the fourth quarter and James assumed a secondary role
that was utterly foreign to him.
This is normal interview fodder for any team. But in this case, any question
directed to Wade would come with James sitting next to him.
“It was more difficult for the media to probe any tensions that existed
between the two, when the two were answering questions side by side,” said
Brian Windhorst, who covers the Heat for ESPN.com.
The dynamic has an effect on non-basketball issues as well. When James’s
mother Gloria was arrested in March, James took questions with Wade at his
side, making a sensitive topic even more awkward.
Speaking together, rarely for more than 10 minutes, also limits the number
of questions that either one has to answer.
“Certainly, they can get away from serious answers, too,” said Ted Shaker,
a former executive producer for CBS Sports. “It becomes kind of a buddy
act. Buddy acts can be kind of attractive. And they can be funny and special
in certain ways. But if you want to get to the heart of certain matters,
that might be difficult.”
This is essentially what James and Wade set out to do. Earlier this month,
they were asked — together, of course — why they always speak at the same
time. Wade said it was important “to be always on the same page.”
The strategy can sometimes backfire.
After a recent playoff game in Boston, a reporter asked Wade if his takedown
of Rajon Rondo — which injured Rondo’s elbow — was a dirty play. Before
Wade could defend himself, James muttered, “That’s retarded” — a remark
that was picked up by a microphone and became a minor controversy.
James apologized two days later. The incident might never have happened if
not for the tandem setup, and the impulse to protect each other from
perceived impertinent questions.
The arrangement is highly unusual. The only other N.B.A. teammates who
routinely conduct joint interviews are the Celtics’ Paul Pierce and Kevin
Garnett. But they do so only after games, and speak separately at other
times.
It is almost comical to imagine other superstar teammates sharing news
conferences.
Michael Jordan demanded too much of the spotlight to give Scottie Pippen a
chair. Karl Malone and John Stockton were joined at the hip on the court,
but never off it. Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant? They might have
strangled each other before the news conference was over.
On Tuesday, James barely spoke, while Wade was peppered with questions about
Chicago, his hometown. James chewed his fingernails, stroked his chin fuzz
and stared into space.
When the session was over, Wade and James walked to the corner of the gym to
film a promotional spot for the N.B.A. finals. They did so together,
naturally. |
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