What a terrible lack of respect for basketball.

It’s common knowledge that hardly one pays attention to the NBA preseason because nobody takes it seriously; even the grizzled vets view it as nothing more than a warmup for the real thing, the regular season. Absolute comprehension.

LeBron James is a perfect example of how this rule works. After all, he’s a four-time NBA champion and 21-year NBA veteran who, at age 38, led the Los Angeles Lakers to the Western Conference Finals with 28.9 ppg, 8.3 rpg, and 6.8 apg last season.

So the “King” is entitled to have downtime, no shame in that, but his actions in the most recent game were an insult to the sport of basketball. Not only do I believe this, but so does a former NBA great who played for the Lakers.

LeBron James changed into street clothes after scoring 12 points in the first half of Friday’s preseason game against the Golden State Warriors and sat on the bench for the second half. Preseason meals are nothing unusual for NBA players, but not many of them go all out like LeBron did. He was obviously chowing down on a full dinner. (Similar: Preseason Top 25 College Basketball Poll Is Out). Top Two Spots Go To Blue Bloods Kansas And Duke

Michael Cooper, a former NBA player who won five titles with the Lakers, was not pleased.

That really bothered me. During an episode of his podcast “Showtime with Coop,” Cooper remarked, “Again, he’s LeBron James, but still, you’ve got to have respect for the game, man.” I don’t mind that he’s eating, but he ought to do it in the locker room and then join the rest of the squad, not simply eat at the end of the bench while they play.

Here are several videos of LeBron sulking on the bench while he eats: