Hall of Famer and Lakers legend Jerry West had once expressed his disgust over the media for not giving LeBron James his due.
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Arguably one of the greatest players to ever step on the hardwood, LeBron James has endured a fair share of hate and criticism during his career. It won’t be wrong to say that the four-time champion continues to be one of the most polarizing figures in American sports.
Standing at 6ft 9′, King James is a flawless combination of strength, speed, and agility. Entering his 20th season, the Lakers superstar is about to dethrone Kareem-Abdul Jabbar as the all-time scorer. The 37-year-old superstar ranks among the top 10 in all-time assists and triple-doubles.
Thus there is no denying the former Cavs superstar’s versatility. There has never been a player of James’ size who could play multiple positions with so much ease. Unfortunately, his haters and critics continue to nitpick about him, especially during the GOAT discussion against Michael Jordan.
A constant criticism against James continues to be his Finals record, something The Logo Jerry West finds absurd, not hesitating to slam the media in public.
“If I was him, I’d probably wanna strangle you guys”: Jerry West slams constant scrutiny against LeBron James.
In his two-decade-long career, LBJ has been to the NBA Finals 10-times, which includes 8 consecutive visits. Nevertheless, the four-time Finals MVP has a 4-6 record, something often used against him in the GOAT debate against His Airness, who was 6-0.
Having had a similar path to James, The Logo Jerry West went to the NBA Finals 9 times, coming out of it only once, with a 1-8 record. Ironically, the Lakers legend is the only player in history to win the Finals MVP on a losing team in 1969 against arch-rivals Celtics.
Thus the veteran understands the constant scrutiny James has to endure, not hesitating to call out the media for their misguided reporting.
When asked about the shots people take on his Finals record, West was on a tear, saying the following.
“That’s the most ridiculous thing. If I were him, I’d probably want to strangle you guys. He’s (LeBron) carried teams on his shoulders, they’ve been in the Finals, 6 straight times, How many times have they been the favorites? none, zero. Grossly unfair to him, It’s hard for me to believe that nobody understands his greatness. This guy is like a swiss army knife, he does everything and he’s competitive as hell.”
“I greatly admire what LeBron has accomplished. I wish people would leave him alone”
– Jerry West on the unfair hate LBJ receives pic.twitter.com/1LHn3Y3WZ8
— Masked In LA 🎭 (@MaskedInLA) October 18, 2022
LeBron James Finals stats.
Though James may not have the best success rate in the Finals, given basketball is a team sport. Nevertheless, the superstar never fails to impress individually.
In his 10 appearances, King James has averaged 28.4 PPG, 10.2 RPG, and 7.8 APG, shooting an impressive 48.4% from the field. Another noteworthy observation is his averaging 48.5 MPG during the Finals.
