‘King James’ feels heat of spotlight

The hits keep coming for LeBron James in the aftermath of his image-denting weekend in Las Vegas.

The latest fallout involves a radio deejay from James' hometown of Akron, Ohio.

DJ Fig of WHBC-FM, 94.1 says the NBA All-Star made an obscene gesture when the radio personality shouted, "Akron still loves you."

The deejay told an Akron TV station the incident occurred about 3 a.m. Monday at Lavo, the Palazzo nightclub where James was a celebrity host.

"He kind of gave me the bird and smiled," DJ Fig said.

James, who left the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heat, was at the center of another Las Vegas-related controversy when Arash Markazi's unflattering column was pulled from ESPNLA.com earlier this week.

Responding to CNBC's Darren Rovell, ESPN.com executive Rob King said, "We looked into the situation thoroughly and found that Arash did not properly identify himself as a reporter or clearly state his intentions to write a story. As a result, we are not comfortable with the content, even in an edited version, because of the manner in which the story was reported."

Markazi told Rovell he understands the decision not to run the story, but added, "It is important to note that I stand by the accuracy of the story in its entirety, but should have been clearer in representing my intent to write about the events I observed."

Markazi's rare insight into James' inner circle likely didn't please his image makers, his new team or the NBA.

See the spiked story at www.deadspin.com.

THE SCENE AND HEARD

One reason, it would appear, that actress Marlee Matlin scrambled to fix a PR disaster at last week's World Deaf Expo was she had big plans this week: She was among celebrities invited to the White House on Monday for the 20th anniversary of passage of the Americans With Disabilities Act.

MAY I RECOMMEND ...

A radiothon on ESPN affiliate KWWN-AM, 1100 gets under way at 10 a.m. today at the Palms. Dozens of celebrities are taking part in the fundraiser for The Caring Place, dedicated to easing the journey of those affected by cancer. Las Vegas baseball executive Don Logan is being honored at 7 p.m. Tickets are $50 per person or $450 for a table of 10. Call 871-7333.

SIGHTINGS

Goalkeeper Iker Casillas, who played a key role in Spain's World Cup championship this month, at Picasso (Bellagio) on Wednesday with girlfriend Sara Carbonero, the stunning Spanish TV sideline reporter. The Real Madrid star chatted with Picasso chef Julian Serrano, who grew up in a Madrid suburb and was a standout soccer player before a health condition forced him to quit. ... Recently divorced Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons, on a date at "Jersey Boys" (Palazzo) on Tuesday night. He attended the funeral of former Gov. Kenny Guinn earlier. ... Las Vegas resident Ron Dante, longtime record producer for Barry Manilow, on the "Late Show with David Letterman" Wednesday as a guest band member. Bandleader Paul Schaffer credited Dante with giving him a big break in his career.

THE PUNCH LINE

"A guy in New York robbed a bank wearing clown pants, a wig, and a bra. I thought to myself, 'This could be a thousand guys living in the Village.' " -- David Letterman

Norm Clarke can be reached at (702) 383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com. Find additional sightings and more online at www.normclarke.com.