Sob Story

Lebraun roams the streets. I don't know for sure that he's doing anything illegal, but my gut tells me that I'll see him in the police blogs soon. Hopefully, I'm wrong. Lebraun played for me a few years ago. He was a nice guy, in his early 20s and on his own, who wanted a shot at being on a team since he had never gotten the chance to play organized basketball. I didn't mind his enthusiasm for the game, or his ambition to play at a high level down the road (Division I). My problem with Lebraun was that he told me his game mirrored Lebron James' even though that was far from the case. That's partially why I classified him as a Bubblee initially. The mountain of evidence would soon follow.

Lebraun isn't a bad guy. I wouldn't even go as far as calling him a liar. Like other Bubblees, he just wants the respect that comes with being great at something outside of school. Bubblees that I encounter typically don't have any ambition in the academic realm. I believe that's a function of the overall frustration with school among Bubblees. It's a restrictive place for them. Many of them have impairments (often undiagnosed) that preclude academic success.

Naturally they frown at anything that's book related. Instead, they define themselves by their hobbies (sports, artistic ability, rapping, fashion), material possessions, and/or their conquests. In their communities, revered folks are those who show out (so to speak) in one of these areas. The guy who goes on to a Division I college to play a sport is a king, for example. As a result, guys like Lebraun spend a lot of time playing sports hoping to attain that status. 

The problem is that most Bubblees I encounter expect to reap major rewards without working hard. They talk a good game. That's it. Everything is supposed to happen instantly, and when things don't go accordingly, they quit and resort to the fantasy. In the event that the fantasy comes undone for whatever reason, that's when they tank. Lebraun represents a classic case of this.

After playing one season for me, and averaging a whopping 1.9 points per game, Lebraun couldn't come back to school because his father was unable to provide the necessary tax documents for him to receive financial aid. The basketball dream suddenly fell apart as a result. In keeping with the Bubble tendency to unravel and make sudden, irrational decisions when an obstacle comes about, Lebraun became unhinged. I ran into Lebraun late one night at a liquor store and wasn't surprised to hear that things weren't going well for him.

Me: Do you still have that job?
Lebraun: What job?
Me: At the Honey Farms? The last time I saw you, you were working there.
Lebraun: Nah. 
Me: What happened? You quit?
Lebraun: No. They fired me.
Me: Did you do something to be fired?
Lebraun: Personally, I think they were out to get me anyway. It was gonna happen sooner than later.
Me: But what did you do?
Lebraun: I was on my lunch break and took a sandwich. The Manager fired me on the spot.
Me: Why?
Lebraun: Why what?
Me: Why did you take the sandwich?
Lebraun: I was hungry.