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LeBron James is through negativity.
In light Anthony Edwards Saying during the All-Star weekend that Does not want to be the next face of the leagueThis journalist asked James on Thursday if that role is something James even wanted – or did it just be assigned to him.
James made it clear that the festive position is no longer as tempting as once, the alarm fact considering the level of the victim needed to achieve, including nurturing a flawless image, immense self -discipline to avoid controversy and, Oh, he is just the best player in the world.
“Channing Frye said this … Why do you want to be the face of the league when all people who cover our game and talk about our game every day about everyone?” Said James. “When you have that responsibility, that’s just strange.”
James used to be examined. Sports Illustrated marked him “chosen one” when he was 17 years old. Since then, he has been criticized for almost every passage and the shooting he has taken. On the eve of James, he knocked down the record of all time in 2023, the Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was requested for his favorite James memory. Instead of talking about the game that won the game, thunderously daring or jumpers of misconceptions over three defenders, Popovich mentioned James’ composition despite criticism of Pundits.
“They would just cope with negative,” Popovich said. “And in some ways it was a fake negative way. The guy did everything great.”
Well, in James’s eyes things have worsened over the years, now reaching a fracture point.
Many NBA players – including James and Kevin Durant – Believe the discourse around the game fell. Instead of an amazing talent Steph Curry Because it is celebrated or the fact that James, at the age of 40, plays as if he had been praised or Durant’s skill for two decades, people just want to focus on the negative.
Too much 3. The game is boring. The current players ruined the sport. The versions of these statements are regularly spoken in national shows.
Some NBA players considered it particularly awful when former NHL defender PK Subban recently continued on “First Take” ESPN and broke the NBA, including the shooting of James for missing his first game of All-Star two weeks ago (breaking a series of 20 direct appearances) because of the charge on his feet and ankles. Subban said “you don’t get my respect” if you don’t play.
To put things in a perspective, James is not one who would take off the games. During his career he has played 301 of the 335 possible backs, including all seven of this season, including all seven of this season, including all seven of this season According to ESPN.
Whether his points were fair, it’s strange that he got the former hockey player to criticize one of the greatest basketball players of all time. Certainly, NHL comes from a successful 4-nation of Face-offs from the successful tournament, while NBA fought to sign her weekend. But would James ever go to ESPN to run NHL? No way.
Somehow, Ripping NBA has become a sport that is seemingly celebrated from the game within four lines.
Criticism is fair. The players know that.
But in NBA circles there is a strong belief that the immersion in the NBA TV viewership has nothing to do with the fall of the talent, but it stems from a self -sacrificing dialogue around the sport. Of course, the drama gets a look. However, there is a thin line between intrigue production and saying fans that the watching product is not worth their time.
The personality of ESPN -a Stephen A. Smith felt as if James’ comments were directed at him, and he defended himself on Friday. Smith believes NBA players can’t stand any criticism.
He continued to see James’s wrong steps over the years, including calling James who announced his decision to take his talents to Miami in a top TV special, “self -sacrificing at peak.”
Smith also blamed James for fuel Cleveland Cavaliers Owner Dan Gilbert to gather NBA owners to get former NBA Commissioner David Sterna da Nix A Merchant to send Chris Paul on Los Angeles Lakers 2011. Smith said Gilbert was “weak about how Lebron James treated him and how the stars get out of control.”
But let’s be real: if James’ biggest hiccups in the last two decades has been a glittering TV special, it is pretty good given the intense microscope he was under. So, why is his name still pulled through the mud every day on TV?
James is not the only recipient of criticism that players consider dishonest.
Are the Lakers still LeBron’s team? | Object
Smith and Charles Barkley both laid in Durant because of his leadership skills. But those who know him best believe it is false. When asked about this narrative, Anthony Edwards said Fox Sports“I think these are bulls-t.” Scissors Coach Tyronn Lue agreed, saying Fox Sports: “How can you question his lead? Game every night. He wants to play 42, 43 minutes of night. And the winner is. You can’t question it.”
In the meantime, Durant said Fox Sports In April 2023. He believes he is constantly disparaged because he does not give experts to the experts real forage. “You can’t clearly see the shortcomings in my game,” Durant said. “Or in your personality, out of the field, I have no major stains. So you have to find something.”
As for James, he is sick of everything.
In fact, on Friday he took it to X to say that he was happy that this conversation was in the news.
“It’s not about” Face of the Game “and it’s not about one person or one show, but a basketball culture, the most beautiful game in the world,” James wrote. “Our game has never been better. Incredible young stars from all over the world and some older ones.
“Steph Curry should be everything we are talking about today. Let’s talk about how great OKC and Cavs have been this season with 2 completely different style and break down why and how they have. Of course, if players don’t perform, and we have to talk about it.”
James not only screams into the void.
He tried to do something to change the narrative around the game by launching the “Mind the Game” podcast with now coach Lakers JJ Redick. His goal was to honor and dissect the game in a more thoughtful way than he felt like he was discussed.
Podcast was canceled when Redick received the Lakers gig last summer. But James would like to be played more often through that prism.
Indeed, the NBA manages to count the most. Let us not forget that Disney, Comcast and Amazon recently agreed to a 11-year TV rights contract that will determine the league about $ 76 billion, setting the NBA record for both the length and total value of the contract.
And James is right, so much can be requested so much.
James plays on an unprecedented level for someone in his 22th season, breaking every record in books. Curry, who is considered the biggest scorer of all time on Thursday, comes out of 56 points against Orlando on Thursday. And Durant recently defied logic, showing that the player could actually play better after suffering a torn Achilles in 2019.
James is probably a season or two of her retirement. Curry and Durant, who have both 36, are not far behind him.
Why don’t we enjoy the three best players of all time while nearby?
Not to mention, there are 10 teams with a .500 or better record at the Western Conference. AND Warriorswho won four championships in eight years, they look like they could be candidates again. The Lakers have won 16 of their last 20 games. Cavaliers and Thunder They have historical seasons. And during the Super Bowl Week, the biggest story of sports was Luka Doncic It is traded in the Lakers.
There is a lot to excite.
And the future of the league looks promising with young Edwards’s young superstars, Victor Wembanyama And Doncic all tries to win their first championship and put their names in history books.
This is so safe: not good if any of these guys decide to not want to fill James’ shoes as the next face of the league.
Something needs to be changed. But as things stand right now, James understands why Edwards wants to say goodbye to that race.
“I feel an ant,” James said. “I understand, I fully understand. This is a strange energy when it comes to it.”
When they asked James if he wanted to be the face of the league, he said, “I didn’t ask for it.” But he admitted that when that happened, he also accepted the responsibility that came with that honor.
“I have always taken it seriously and (understood) from the beginning what it was about professional and what it was a model,” James said. “Well, try to keep it with greatest respect and honor.”
James did his part.
Now is the time for us to do our own.
We need to celebrate the talent around us before it is too late.
If guys like Edwards want to break out their light because of the fear of being burned, we may need to get a cold, hard to look at why this is happening.
Melissa Rohlin is NBA writer for Fox Sports. Earlier covered the league for Sports Illustrated, Los Angeles Times, News Group for Bay Area and San Antonio Express-nws. Follow her on Twitter @Melisarohlin.
LeBron James
Los Angeles Lakers
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