“Acting Like He Wanted The Basketball”: Stephon Marbury Calls Out LeBron James for His Olympics Performance

Stephon Marbury believes LeBron James did not deserve the MVP award at the 2024 Paris Olympics. This despite James’ consistent performance in Team USA’s run to the gold medal.

“Steph Curry should have got the MVP…The whole planet watched Steph Curry do what he did,” Marbury said on the Whistle podcast. “Two games in a row. LeBron was standing there, fronting, acting like he wanted the basketball. He ain’t really want to shoot no three.”

However, when the podcast co-hosts presented James’ numbers, Marbury, the 2004 Olympic bronze medallist, was forced to give the King at least some of his flowers. 

“He played well, he did everything. He did what LeBron does,” Stephon added.

That was but a momentary break. He continued his argument against James’ MVP award. “You’re not carrying with KD and Steph. You’re playing well and you’re doing all of the things that you do as a basketball player.”

The two-time All-Star even insinuated that LeBron’s ties to the media helped him create a award-clinching narrative for himself. 

Of course, Curry did carry Team USA on his back in the final two games. However, Chef averaged just 7.3 points on 35.7% shooting from the field and 20% from deep in the first four games. LeBron, on the other hand, was scoring consistently, while corralling rebounds and dropping assists.

The Olympics MVP award recognizes a player’s performance throughout the tournament and not just in the gold-medal game. This is similar to what the league MVP award stands for, compared to a Finals MVP.

Marbury, of all people, would know this. Then again, this is not the first time he has tried to invalidate James’ legacy. 

Marbury believes Michael Jordan is leagues above LeBron

In August this year, Marbury took to his X account to deliver his take on the LeBron versus Michael Jordan debate. He had a clear side, and interestingly, Stephon didn’t even believe the matchup was close. 

Responding to a tweet about Jordan winning the most scoring titles (10) in NBA history, Starbury wrote that LeBron “shouldn’t even be mentioned in the same breath as MJ.”

Shouldn’t even be mentioned in the same breath as MJ. https://t.co/Dxk5wGHADS

— I AM PEACE STAR (@StarburyMarbury) August 13, 2024

He was making the same argument on the Whistle podcast while campaigning for Curry’s MVP case.

“I’m like, I love LeBron James as a basketball player,” said Marbury. “They get mad because I don’t agree that, I don’t think he’s better than Jordan. I’m like, I played against all three of them. I’ve never seen Jordan or Kobe [Bryant] shoot an airball at the free-throw line, have you?”

As rational as he may try to sound, Marbury certainly has a hatchet to bury with the four-time MVP. In 2018, he had asserted that Zion Williamson was already “way better” than James. It’s opinions like these, bordering the absurd, which make Marbury look like just another critic of the King.