LeBron James has been the victim of the NBA’s ring culture throughout his entire career. He can’t stand how mainstream sports media has pushed the propaganda around championships. He stood up for not just himself but for the game’s greats who don’t have a title to their name. His comments didn’t seem to land on the friendliest of ears.
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James’ comments came during a recent episode of his Mind the Game podcast. He poked holes in the argument that championships truly define a player while listing athletes not just in basketball.
“You sit here and tell me that Allen Iverson and Charles Barkley and Steve Nash weren’t unbelievable. ‘Oh, they can’t be discussed with these guys because this guy won one ring or won two rings.’ It’s just weird to me, it’s like saying Peyton Manning can’t be in the same room with [Tom] Brady or [Patrick] Mahomes because he only has one ring. They don’t never discuss that in their sport,” James said.
A day has passed since LeBron’s bold opinion surrounding the topic. It would’ve been safe to assume that NBA analysts wouldn’t let the opportunity to speak on the matter pass him by. NBA insider Brian Windhorst didn’t completely shut down James’ take.
“Having seen LeBron go through eight straight playoff runs and reach the Finals is one of the great accomplishments of this generation,” Windhorst said on ESPN’s First Take. “People never talk about eight straight because he lost five of them. I agree with LeBron that counting championships is a tough way to define legacy.”
Although he agreed with some of the points LeBron mentioned, he couldn’t ignore that LeBron has played a part in the emphasis of ring culture.
“But I would also say that he’s contributed to this by comparing himself to [Michael Jordan],” Windhorst said.
Windhorst took a more mild-mannered approach in his response to James. His co-host, Stephen A. Smith, didn’t mince any words en route to blasting LeBron on live television.
He talked about how almost everyone considers LBJ a Top-3 player all-time, but not everyone considers him the GOAT, something which Smith believes slights LeBron.
“What the h*ll else do you want? A diaper and a bib? Do you want us to feed you some applesauce?” Smith proclaimed.
According to Smith, LeBron doesn’t have any right to complain about ring culture. If he didn’t believe it meant so much, then why did James leave the Cleveland Cavaliers to pursue a championship with the Miami Heat?
Winning a championship is the ultimate goal for every player. The more the merrier. It isn’t the end-all-be-all, but Smith doesn’t want James to act as if he is higher than those fuelling ring culture, as if he hasn’t done his fair share of damage as well.
