Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James recently delivered commentary surrounding the role of being the face of the NBA, leading to him voicing how the media goes about covering the sport. The question came after Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards explained that he did not want to be the face of the league, and it was a perspective that James understood that resulted in the quote being scrutinized by fans across the country. During a recent edition of First Take, featured commentator and executive producer Stephen A. Smith ostensibly took umbrage towards these comments, explaining that the players always find something to complain about.
In a thread posted to social media, James provided additional commentary surrounding the situation where he explained that he was happy the conversation had started. On top of that, he conveyed that this is not about him and that he does not really care what is said about him. During the latest edition of Shan & RJ on 105.3 The Fan, the show reacted to James’ initial comments prior to the social media post, emphasizing that he does not shy away from being the face of the league and calls himself the king.
“LeBron James wanted to be the face of the NBA,” Shariff said. “My question was, ‘Is he right or being whiny about the coverage of the league?’ Stephen A. Smith has gotten in his head – he really has. I don’t know whether it’s social media or Twitter, but Kendrick Perkins, Stephen A. Smith, it feels like LeBron is obsessed with their criticism, but it’s like, ‘Why would you want to be the face when our league gets talked about the way it does?’ Is it whiny or true?”
Bobby Belt, producer of the morning show, opined that it was a little bit of both and drew a comparison to Major League Baseball. Similar to the frustration surrounding the most common set of outcomes being a strikeout, home run or walk, he explained that the NBA has focused on efficiency and putting up three-point shots, purportedly causing the game to lose part of its character. Rather than trying to fix the problem, Belt articulated that the players are telling others to quit whining about them.
“The players right now, because of the way the media has gone with players having their own podcasts, the media’s different,” said RJ Choppy. “They want that world, they’re trying to change it to that world where the criticism, it’s more college atmosphere. The college media doesn’t hound the players or the coaches the way it does in the professional ranks.”
Within his calculus, Choppy expressed that although not every quarterback wants to be a leader nor has the ability, it is something they have to be. There are also instances where players have to exhibit a certain level of leadership when they hold a certain status, he explained, but qualified such by elucidating that athletes should not have to be the faces of the league should they not have that desire. Shariff added that he finds James to be a self-important, unlikable player, but he also pointed out how the narrative lately has surrounded his stellar play at 40 years of age and the surging Lakers.
“I try to think, ‘Alright, what’s being said? What are the criticisms?,’” Choppy explained. “Stop watching First Take. For you to base your media opinion on probably what Stephen A. Smith is saying, he probably doesn’t like the old heads on TNT either, and he referenced something there – I think he’s talking about Channing Frye.”
On a recent edition of the Road Trippin’ podcast, James’ former teammate Channing Frye surmised that nostalgia was harming the league in that current players are being compared to those in an era that took place four decades earlier. After hearing the comments, Choppy recapitulated the comparison to MLB and underscored how the timeline has aligned with basketball, leading some media members to look back on the game they knew as children.
“Channing Frye is right about ‘90s basketball,” Shariff added. “It was slow, it was low scoring, it was ugly. The Miami Heat vs. New York Knicks series that all the old guys try to brag in terms of all the toughest was horrific, ugly, terrible basketball.”
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