A faction of NBA fans lambast Rachel Nichols for bringing up LeBron James as she interviewed Tim Duncan, ahead of his Hall of Fame induction.
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The Spurs legend is one of the 10 greatest basketball players of all time in most people’s eyes. Timmy D set the standard as probably the best franchise player in league history.
Duncan played 19 seasons in San Antonio, a span during which they never finished below a 60% win percentage. Duncan’s career began with a rookie year when he cracked an All-NBA First Team as a power forward alongside the great David Robinson.
Through the course of his career, Duncan faced LeBron James thrice in the NBA Finals. There was a clear rivalry between James’s teams and Duncan’s, especially during the mid-2010s when they faced each other in successive Finals.
Their fates are forever intertwined with one another, which is why Rachel Nichols was 100% justified in bringing it up in his Hall of Fame interview. The part being discussed on Twitter comes after the 3:30 mark of the video below.
This interview was nearly 20 years in the making – such a treat to chat & laugh & reminisce with Tim Duncan as he’s inducted into the Hall of Fame. We talked his amazing career, his relationship with Pop (including the text messages Pop sends him – yes, Pop texts!) & so much more pic.twitter.com/63TbiayU09
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) May 15, 2021
And yet, there are a few fans who can’t seem to spot the obvious. They’ve chosen to ridicule ESPN, calling this a tactic to subtly push LeBron’s GOAT candidature.
Fans ridicule Rachel Nichols for ‘inappropriately’ bringing up LeBron James in a Tim Duncan interview
The vitriol is aimed towards both LeBron and Rachel Nichols equally for taking footage away from Tim Duncan in a national TV interview ahead of his Hall of Fame induction.
Rachel Nichols interviews Timmy (Tim Duncan) as he gets inducted into the Hall of Fame and starts asking him about how great Lebron James is. I’ll leave it at this.#timduncan
— Joy Jagpreet Singh (@joysinghg) May 14, 2021
Tim Duncan just got inducted into the basketball hall of fame after having one of the best careers we’ve ever seen and Rachel Nichols is asking this nigga about Lebron on his day. Whole NBA media needs an overhaul
— 🥷🏾 (@MikeAdxx) May 14, 2021
Tim Duncan should’ve started talking about laying the biggest beatdown in NBA finals history against LeBron and the Heat when Rachel Nichols asked that nonsense
— Fitz (@FitzGSN_) May 14, 2021
@Rachel__Nichols What’s your problem? Lebron pays you to do his propaganda? You don’t know shame it shows … ridiculous!
— La clutch attitude (@eurolecrespy) May 14, 2021
Rachel Nichols interview caused me second hand embarrassment. Why is Tim Duncan’s interview got anything to do with LeBron James?
— Stephanie Mack (@SoCaliSteph) May 14, 2021
Rachel Nichols is washed as hell…just asked Tim Duncan at his own HOF inductee interview about….Lebron James. Bro you can’t make this up, this is supposed to be about him. Arguably the best PF of all time!! God bless his patience.
— x – MadGood Knicks Show™ (@MadGoodKS) May 14, 2021
Of course Rachel Nichols is asking Tim Duncan questions about Lebron during a Hall Of Fame interview.
— Brandon (@GPHatesThisApp) May 14, 2021
Leave it to Rachel Nichols to force Tim Duncan to talk about Lebron the day before he gets inducted into the HOF.
— Dim Sum (@DimSumOpieOP) May 15, 2021