Ever since he made it to the NBA, LeBron James has been one of the most controversial players of all time. The comparisons with Michael Jordan, the ‘Chosen One’ nickname, and his potential to be one of the best to ever do it made him a polarizing figure from day one.
Fast forward to today and regardless of how anybody feels about him as a player, an athlete, or even as a person, no one can deny that he’s one of the greatest to ever do it. His résumé speaks for himself, and his durability as an elite player 21 years later is undeniable.
Nonetheless, one of his detractors’ — and Michael Jordan fans — biggest arguments against his GOAT case is the fact that some of his rivals don’t seem to respect him. He doesn’t instill the same fear or intimidation as Jordan or even Kobe Bryant.
While that doesn’t have anything to do with basketball and shouldn’t even be considered in the debate, it’s also not a secret that some lesser players have dared challenge him too many times. Last season, Dillon Brooks was the latest example of that.
LeBron James
LeBron Will Respond In Due Time
When asked about Brooks and the naysayers, LeBron claimed that he’s going to get back at them on due time. Truth be told, it’s not like he still has anything left to prove after everything he’s accomplished:
“There will be a time,” James said at Lakers practice. “When that time is? I don’t know. I don’t know if it’s now or — there will be a time. There will be a time when everybody will get it, for sure.”
The 21-year veteran isn’t bothered by the outside noise at this point in his career. It takes a lot to get in his head, and he claims he doesn’t need any extra motivation to be at his best:
“I don’t get motivated against [who] the opponents [are] pretty much anymore,” James continued. “I don’t need it. I don’t want to say I don’t get motivated to play, because I do get motivated to go against the competition; I love competing against the best. But I don’t need an individual or a team to motivate me. I’m self-motivated. I’m enough.”
LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers
James Keeps Making History
Even so, LeBron has repeatedly talked about not being appreciated enough. He — literally — said that he wanted to be respected after leading the Lakers to a title in the bubble, and then did it again in the offseason after being swept by the Denver Nuggets.
LeBron keeps making history with every bucket he scores. He ranks first or near the top in most categories, and it’s unlikely that someone will ever play at such a high level for such a long time to take him down.
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LeBron James addresses potential retirement again
At the end of the day, you may or may not like him or disagree with him being the GOAT; that’s perfectly valid. But not even his biggest detractor can take anything away from him. The numbers don’t lie, and he has plenty of numbers to brag about.
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