If there is one thing the All-Star voting for 2023 has reminded us so far, it pertains to LeBron James‘ continued status as the top dog in the NBA. The Lakers forward, in year 20, remains alone at the top of the NBA’s all-star voting fan returns. A remarkable feat indeed.
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While this is indicative of James’ continued popularity among the NBA community, it is a well-known fact that there has been considerable hate thrown in his direction too. Particularly in the mainstream.
Skip Bayless is arguably the most vehement propagator of LeBron hate in the mainstream. The host has practically made a living out of his reputation for slamming King James on live television.
Ironically, Skip’s counterpart on Undisputed, Shannon Sharpe is one of LeBron James’ close friends. Shannon is often the side of reason and has often stepped up to defend his friend against Skip’s wild takes.
And in an attempt to find reasons behind hatred towards a perfectly likable star, Sharpe engaged in conversation with Jamal Crawford. Getting the opinion of a pro’s pro probably seemed like the way to go.
Shannon Sharpe asked Jamal Crawford why he feels people hate on his friend, LeBron James.
Why would people hate an accomplished player who plays the game “the right way”, creates no trouble off the court, or runs his mouth about his peers? Exactly the query posed by Sharpe to Crawford.
The former NFL star also pointed to Crawford how it generally are the older NBA players who spew hate too. A valid point indeed.
Crawford, being a contemporary of James’ saw his greatness up close and spoke his mind on the issue. The former 6th Man of the Year spoke about how the hate surrounding LeBron James is a side effect of his greatness.
“Because, I don’t think people hate on the good ones. People hate on the great ones! What he’s done, he’s changed the landscape of the game. He’s changed the way it looks, changed the way it feels. Things people weren’t used to. He’s done it in such a way that you can’t do anything about it. There’s no limit to what he can do” explained Crawford about why the old heads in particular, hate on the Lakers superstar.
Change isn’t acceptable to all, and Crawford sees it as a factor to how LeBron is treated. When people see someone succeed in a way they believed was impossible, there seems to be some hatred directed that way.
Although the interview is from around a year back, it is quite relevant to the present day. After all, Shannon has only just gotten back from a fight in defense of James’ Lakers against the Grizzlies.
Shannon Sharpe got into a fight with Dillon Brooks, Tee Morant, and the Grizzlies.
In the former NFL superstar’s own words, the altercation was initiated by Dillon Brooks of the Grizzlies. After some trash talk on how Brooks couldn’t defend LeBron, things got serious.
Notice how it all stems from Sharpe merely defending his friend who was strutting his stuff at full flow. A losing circumstance and a taunt clearly ticked Brooks off, here.
Defending his “great” friend wasn’t something new to Sharpe. And taking pride in how LeBron was dominating youngsters in year 20 led to the taunts and the resultant fight.
