The identity of the greatest basketball player of all time or the ‘GOAT’ is a highly contested debate throughout the NBA community. Two names, however, stand miles above the rest and that would be Michael Jordan and LeBron James. Jordan is thought of as the most dominant player in history in terms of success, whereas James leads every basketball stat list known to mankind.
Thousands of videos exist, comparing the merits of the two legends, but no one has been able to give a definitive answer, it comes down to personal preference. Although one value sticks out like a sore thumb throughout history and that is humbleness.
Throughout his career, LeBron James has crowned himself the GOAT on multiple occasions. The difference between him and Michael Jordan is that Jordan never openly acknowledged the notion of his greatness. He let his championships and admirers speak. James on the other hand has always struggled living in Michael’s shadow and has had to resort to explicit means to declare himself as the greatest basketball player ever.
Fans Mock LeBron James on Twitter for ‘Crowning’ Gesture
LeBron James has had a multitude of nicknames over the years. ‘The Chosen One’, ‘Bron-Bron’, and ‘LBJ’ to name a few, but the one that has the best ring to it and is widely known is ‘King James’. LeBron knows this is his most popular alter-ego and has gone out of his way to play into the king role, even referring to his sons as princes and his wife Savannah as queen James.
LeBron James finished his ESPYS speech by putting the crown on 👑 🔥pic.twitter.com/XUNYT0uuVM
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) July 13, 2023
It was due to this that, it came as no surprise when LeBron made a motion to place a crown on his head, after his speech at the ESPY Awards that he gave to commemorate his ‘best record-breaking performance’ award. Fans on Twitter however were not amused by the King’s antics and expressed their views
Man is so corny. Just had 1 more ring than number of different super teams man needed
— BLM pride (@tendy_hands) July 13, 2023
One user even said “Man is so corny. Just had 1 more ring than the number of different super teams man needed.” This is a sentiment that has been long expressed by certain fans that feel LeBron’s many actions concerning his ‘King‘ title are “corny” or “classless”.
An invisible crown cuz Jokic got the real one.
— REEVO FROM 3 (@TRAPHAGRID) July 13, 2023
The ones with money don’t show it.
Lebron needs the satisfaction because he knows he will always be second fiddle to MJ.
Legitimately nobody thought he was retiring. Needs the spotlight.
— THE PREMIUM (@gamblers_dream) July 13, 2023
Real kings don’t put the crown by himself. He let other people do that. 💯🤷🏽♂️
— Hoops Junkie (@Gerard_papa) July 13, 2023
CORN DOG ALERT 🌽🚨
— Ethical Hoops🏆 (only takes Ws) (@EthicalHoopz) July 13, 2023
There are fans criticizing James’ recent playoff performances and uplifting the fact that it looks like his days of winning championships are over. Still, LeBron has made it clear that rings aren’t his primary focus anymore and that his children are. He’s dealt with criticism and slander his whole career, so we can expect that he’s built quite a thick skin over the years, especially bolstered by his one-of-a-kind resume.