Shannon Sharpe Dives into LeBron James’ Achievements Being Undermined, Claims Michael Jordan Wasn’t Put Under the Same Scanner: “That Wasn’t Worth Nothing”

LeBron James has achieved everything the game of basketball has to offer and more. However, despite all his accolades and records, the media still questions his legacy while deliberately throwing comparisons with Michael Jordan. No matter what he does on the court, there is always someone nitpicking LeBron’s performance. James’ ardent supporter, Shannon Sharpe, is well aware of this fact and recently brought it up during a conversation on the ‘Nightcap’ podcast.

Referring to LeBron’s monster performance in the semi-finals of the In-Season Tournament, Sharpe declared, “The In-Season Tournament ain’t going to mean anything if LeBron wins it.”

Explaining why that is to his co-host Chad ‘Ochocinco’ Johnson, the ESPN host said, “Because it’s LeBron. We got to find another way to minimize anything that he accomplished.” According to Sharpe, this has been a common theme for the Los Angeles Lakers superstar throughout his career. He cited the example of the 2020 NBA championship win in the bubble and said, “Remember when he won the bubble? Everybody was under the same situation. ‘Oh, but it’s cubic zirconia!'”

The ‘First Take’ NBA analyst then called out the media for having double standards when it came to LeBron James, as compared to Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant. According to him, “If LeBron James were to win it, [the media would say] ‘Oh man, that wasn’t worth nothing.’ But if somebody else were to win it, [media would be like] ‘Kobe would have won! Jordan would have won!'”

Sharpe believes that the media will do anything to minimize the four-time champion’s greatness and his legacy. He compared the situation to a relationship whose value is not realized when people are with each other. However, as soon as one person leaves, we wonder how good life was with them. Sharpe believes the critics might realize LeBron’s worth once he decides to hang up his boots.

Shannon Sharpe congratulated LeBron James for reaching the finals

After a historic performance by LeBron James in the semi-finals of the In-Season Tournament against the New Orleans Pelicans, Shannon Sharpe expressed his appreciation for the player on Instagram. He shared a photo of himself doctored in a picture of LeBron shooting the basketball and had the infamous Michael Jordan crying face in place of the basketball. He captioned the post – “Congrats to GOAT JAMES & the Lakers on advancing to the first-ever NBA In-Season Tournament Championship!”

With LeBron’s performance re-igniting the Greatest of All-Time debate, Sharpe made it known where his loyalties lie. The debate between Jordan and James will probably never reach its conclusion. However, as basketball fans, we should be grateful that we get to see such legends of the game entertain us night-in and night-out.