LeBron James calls out his teammates before posting cryptic tweet

For years, LeBron James fans have criticized Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan for their leadership style. Even though the numbers say otherwise, they claim LeBron makes his teammates better without bullying them, being a more approachable leader overall.

Then again, throughout the course of his career, James has shared countless passive-aggressive comments about his teammates, coaches, and front office, always making it seem like he’s not to blame for whatever’s going on with his team.

Like clockwork, this season wasn’t the exception to that rule. With the NBA trade deadline just days away and the Los Angeles Lakers struggling to find consistency, the timing was perfect for James to put the rest of the locker room on notice.

LeBron Rips Teammates, Posts Cryptic Tweet

Following their lopsided loss to the Atlanta Hawks — a game in which he had a box plus-minus of -6 and shot 4-for-9 from the free-throwline — James didn’t waste the chance to call out his teammates, asking them to ‘do their jobs.’

LeBron James dribbling.

“We could, on any given night, beat any team in the NBA,” James said. “And then on any given night, we can get our ass kicked by any team in the NBA. That’s just the (facts). What’s our record? Under .500? What, 24-25? That’s where we are.”

“I don’t have any message for my teammates. Just go out and do your job,” James said before the reporter ended the interview, to which he replied, “Appreciate it. Way to cut me off. Because I was about to go in.”

Then, shortly after, he created a lot of frenzy on social media by posting a cryptic tweet. He posted a sand clock, making it seem like time was running out either for him, his teammates, or the organization.

LeBron is undeniably one of the greatest athletes ever, but he has rarely held himself accountable for his team’s shortcomings. It’s never his blame; it’s always his teammates who don’t step up or that he needs more help.

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LeBron James criticizes teammates after another Lakers loss

There’s no shame in needing better teammates to win; it’s not easy to dominate in the NBA, and he’s done it for quite a while. Then again, we might want to put an end to that ‘great leader’ and ‘make his teammates better’ narrative to rest once and for all. He’s just like Jordan and Bryant, he just pretends not to be.