You would think that LeBron James, a 4x NBA Champion, 4x FMVP, 4x MVP, 19x All-Star, multiple All-NBA selections, 5x All-Defensive Team member, 2x Olympic Gold Medalist, and the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, would command a great deal of respect from his peers, former teammates, and players around the league.
But even though the King’s resume is full of accolades, some former and current players are still unconvinced about his legacy and capabilities even though he still plays at an insane level despite being 38 years old.
Recently, his former Miami Heat teammate, Mario Chalmers, stated that nobody fears going up against LeBron. His recent sentiment echoed what Shaquille O’Neal, Gilbert Arenas, Paul Pierce, and even Boston Celtics All-Star Jaylen Brown said in past interviews.
Mario Chalmers stated, “Nobody fears Bron. Nobody’s like ‘(expletive) I gotta go play against Bron tonight.’ Nobody said that. I don’t know why. Because I seen people be scared when they actually lined up to him but they’re not scared thinking about that matchup, right? You hear anybody from that era talk about going against Jordan, there’s a fear. So when you have people that fear a player, then that’s telling you something different already. Like, Jordan is just that guy.”
Throw in OKC Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to the list of players who are not impressed with LeBron’s accolades, even though the King has been always considered among the top two players who ever suited up in NBA’s history.
It’s true that there are certain players to fear day in and day out as they could easily drop a 50 or 60-point game whenever they are in the groove. Michael Jordan was a dominant scorer back then and even the late Kobe Bryant was more than capable to get hot like a microwave and drop ridiculous numbers if he was in the zone.
You could argue that LeBron James has his own ways on how to dominate a game, but most defenders aren’t scared of him going off to have a career night because he is unselfish and has a team-first mentality within his game.
It’s still baffling that former and current players continue to undermine LeBron’s greatness and no matter what he achieves both on and off the court, he still can’t get the respect he deserves from his peers. Let’s just appreciate him now as there will never be a player like him again once he steps away from the game which will happen sooner rather than later.
