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SALT LAKE CITY — Kalen Gilleese of Salt Lake City is a big fan of Michael Jordan.
LeBron James? Not so much.
When other fans debate which player is the best, Gilleese has a strong opinion — and he decided to share that opinion on his leg.
After the Golden State Warriors defeated “King James” and the Cavs in the NBA Finals, Gilleese celebrated with his friend, tattoo artist Preston Schooley, by imprinting a lifelike piece of art of a “Crying LeBron” on his leg.
“After this year, when Golden State was playing, I knew if he was beat this time, I was going to get it,” Gilleese said with a grin. “We have to stop this Jordan-LeBron conversation; we need to switch to something else."
Don’t take the tattoo too seriously, though, Cavs fans.
"It's a lot of fun. It's no big deal," Gilleese said. "I had a feeling that this might get around a little bit. But LeBron is so popular, that I felt like the possibilities were endless. When it happened, I knew I would get a lot of hate. But that comes with the territory."
The tattoo took three hours to finish, but Gilleese said it was worth it.
"I didn't think he'd actually go through it. But after (the Cavs) lost, I was like, 'guess we're doing this,'" Schooley said. "Everyone's been complimenting the tattoo, but I feel like the focus is on Kalen. He's the reason this happened; I'm just the artist behind it.
"He's getting a lot of hate mail, with things online that are absolutely ridiculous. But that's the point of things going viral: you're going to have lovers, and you're going to have haters."
Schooley posted a photo of the tattoo on Instagram, and the image went viral, with stories popping up on CNN, USA Today, the Washington Post and other national outlets.
His disdain for James isn’t just a grudge; Gilleese plans to finish the tattoo with a leg sleeve that will feature sports legends, including Tom Brady, Wayne Gretzky and (of course) Michael Jordan.
LeBron James deserves a spot on his leg of fame. But underneath "His Airness."
"He's a great guy, a great family man. But the flopping and the crying," said Gilleese, who admits James is a legend.
"Jordan used to cry to the refs, but Google a flop by Jordan and you won't find very much."
Gilleese isn’t just a basketball fan, either; he’s also an artist. His Instagram page is populated by portraits he’s done, including former 49ers star quarterback Joe Montana and slasher film star Freddy Krueger.
"I"ve had a passion for art since I was 7-8 years old," he said. "It started with comic books; people were into comics, but I was into the art of it. It grew from there."
But he’s likely to always be known for his NBA obsession that now has a permanent spot on his body.
"I'm a very visual person, and I love everything that has to do with art," Gilleese said. "Tattoos, doodling on my notebook in school; it was only fitting that I would put it on my body."
