NBA analysts and ‘experts’ often ignore LeBron James’ capabilities as a ‘pure’ scorer. Instead, other legendary players such as Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Karl Malone, among others, are usually attributed with this designation. Although, quite ironically, LeBron James broke Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record last year despite not being hailed as a ‘pure scorer’.
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In a recent episode of his 7 PM in Brooklyn podcast, Carmelo Anthony talked about the narrative that led to LeBron James not being considered a designated bucket-getter. Melo and LeBron were both drafted in the class of 2003, with James even considering the New York Knicks legend as one of his best friends in the league.
“Bron is the leading scorer in NBA history but it’s crazy that nobody will put him in the bucket-getter category. It’s a narrative,” Carmelo said.
According to Anthony, this stigma around LBJ’s scoring capabilities developed because he didn’t always take the last shot in clutch situations. Moreover, LeBron is also one of the greatest passers of the basketball in the league’s history. Therefore, it’s only natural for him to pass the ball to an open teammate and make the right play when he is being double-teamed and triple-teamed. However, Melo underlined how passing up the ball is often construed as shirking responsibility by the media.
However, leading the Miami Heat franchise, LeBron James was always the designated bucket-getter in the Heat’s championship runs between 2011 and 2014. Perhaps, after leaving Miami, James learned from his experience to let other players shine, which might explain the passive narrative regarding him not being a pure scorer or a designated bucket-getter.
JJ Redick explained the narratives surrounding LeBron James in the best possible manner
Many NBA personalities had previously delved into the narratives surrounding LeBron James as a player. As James was close to breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record, the debates around these narratives grew stronger, with many even contesting the claim of LeBron James being a pure scorer. However, JJ Redick’s explanation of such narratives from 11 months ago might be the best possible take on this debate.
Calling the negative narratives around LeBron James as ‘dumb,’ the former Clippers player went into an epic rant on why LeBron James was an elite shooter and scorer. Redick argued against the takes presented on ESPN’s First Take earlier, putting forward how LeBron James had a better resume to claim himself as a top 3 all-time scorer by scoring average.
In fact, in his argument, Redick never took James’ longevity into account. Comparing James’ shooting percentage to Kevin Durant and Michael Jordan in scoring 2s, Redick also argued how James still stands 9th all-time in scoring three-pointers and fourth all-time in assists. The Clippers veteran exhumed the false narratives, perhaps implying the LA Lakers superstar to be one of the most complete players in the league.
