LeBron James undoubtedly belongs to Mt. Rushmore of the All-time greatest NBA players. The All-time leading scorer has a statistical claim to the lofty honor. However, since he has been at the zenith of the NBA for the past two decades, the criticism aimed at him has also been relentless. Talking about one such scathing statement, on ‘UNDISPUTED’, LBJ superfan Keyshawn Johnson accused Reggie Miller of throwing shade on James.
Advertisement
During Game 4 between the Denver Nuggets and the Minnesota Timberwolves, Miller commented the “guys on Mt Rushmore deflecting and pointing fingers”.
Reggie Miller throwing shade at LeBron? 👀 pic.twitter.com/ONkNzFHvf5
— BricksCenter (@BricksCenter) May 13, 2024
He argued that these unnamed “veterans” have a habit of looking for scapegoats when they come up short in their quests. Despite the ambiguous nature of the comments, Keyshawn Johnson was assured that the Pacers great was taking potshots at the 4x Finals MVP,
“As soon as I heard it, my ears went up as I was watching the game, I was like, ‘oh damn, did he just do that?’ You start to think about it and you question, which player? Come on, we all know he is talking about LeBron James.”
The 3x Pro-Bowl then explored the possible names belonging to Mt. Rushmore. He stated that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, and Magic Johnson don’t fit Millers’ description. The former Jets WR also expressed that Stephen Curry is also not a “finger-pointer”, so Miller wasn’t referring to him.
While admitting that Kevin Durant may fit the bill, Johnson argued that KD may not even be a part of the Mt. Rushmore. Then he highlighted how James’ critics have constantly labeled him as someone who dodges responsibility, a notion that Miller may have also perpetuated on TNT,
“People have accused LeBron of always deflecting. ‘Oh, he won’t take the shot and give it to somebody else. Oh, he is standing over there in the corner, he won’t participate. They always treat him that way. So when Reggie said this, who else I am gonna think of.”
Reggie Miller: Guys on Mt. Rushmore “like to deflect and point fingers”
@keyshawn says he was referring to LeBron James 👀 pic.twitter.com/DLZvk9uAcf— The Facility (@TheFacilityFS1) May 13, 2024
The 51-year-old NFL legend may not be far-fetched with his conclusion. A lot of X users also shared his position.
Fans react to Reggie Miller’s comments
A fan also believed that the former Pacers sharpshooter was referring to LBJ. He pointed out how LBJ has played under nine different head coaches in his career. The X user wrote, “The player who’s had every coach he’s played for fired except Spoelstra.”
The player who’s had every coach he’s played for fired except Spoelstra
— Leyland (@run_leyland) May 13, 2024
Meanwhile, another X user came up with a witty wordplay by combining the name LeBron with the word deflect. The X handle commented, “LeFlect”.
LeFlect
— Had Enough Yet 🤬 (@1JasonLutz) May 13, 2024
Apart from that, a fan wanted Miller to not leave an ambiguous trail and clarify who he was talking about. The X user expressed, “Reggie would get respect if he said names”.
Reggie would get respect if he said names
— Alex B. (@KnicksCentral) May 13, 2024
However, another fan believed that the former laser shooter was alluding to Kevin Durant, who was frustrated with Frank Vogel’s offensive system, and the Suns let go of Vogel just a few days after he expressed his disappointment, “Kevin Durant is the most obvious one”.
Kevin Durant is the most obvious one
— Mr Perfect (@perfecthennig) May 13, 2024
Anyway, there is a high likelihood that the 58-year-old was aiming at a modern generation superstar considering their increased influence in the player empowerment era. However, it would have been better if Miller had named the players so that it wouldn’t have left room for extensive speculations.
Even if these were aimed at LBJ, fans seemed to have sided with the Pacers legend after the Lakers failed miserably in the playoffs.