LeBron James Doesn't Hold Back in Strong Message to Critics
On the latest episode of "Mind the Game" with Hall of Famer Steve Nash, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James spoke about his critics.
James is one of the most scrutinized players in NBA history. Many of James' critics bash him when he doesn't take the final shot for his team.
Advertisement
In Game 5 of the 2020 NBA Finals between the Lakers and Miami Heat, James passed the ball to Danny Green, who was wide open from 3. Green, though, missed the shot and the Lakers lost to the Heat by a final score of 111-108.
After the game, James' critics ripped him for not taking the last shot, even though the leading scorer in NBA history was guarded by multiple players.
James spoke about those critics with Nash.
"Even with the criticism, and it still goes on, like in the 2020 Finals. I had an unbelievable game against the Heat. Late in the game, I drove the ball. Two or three defenders came at me. I found Danny Green wide open for a three. He missed it. And we went to Game 6. I'd make that play every time," James said. "And people say, 'Why didn't you take the shot? There he goes again passing up the shot.'
Advertisement
"They've never been there. They don't understand. One of my favorite quotes, though I don't know it verbatim, is from Theodore Roosevelt about the man in the arena. It is not the critic who counts. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena. And the loudest voices are always from those not in the arena. So, how can you challenge what I'm doing if you've never even stepped foot in there?"
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James© Matt Blewett-Imagn Images
James and the Lakers wound up winning the 2020 Finals in six games at the Walt Disney World bubble.
James is a four-time MVP, a four-time champion and a four-time Finals MVP. He became the No. 1 scorer of all time in 2023.
Advertisement
A future Hall of Famer, James has played for the Cleveland Cavaliers (twice), Heat and Lakers. He's the only player in NBA history to rank top five all-time in points and assists.
The 40-year-old James has career averages of 27.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.7 blocks.
Related: LeBron James' Former Teammate Issues Strong Statement on Steph Curry
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
21 minutes ago
- New York Times
Pacers let little things slip in Game 4 loss to Thunder but remain confident
INDIANAPOLIS — Since January, the Indiana Pacers have shown their strength in clutch scenarios. They've outscored the Oklahoma City Thunder by more than 20 points in fourth quarters in the NBA Finals, but they fumbled away a seven-point lead in Game 4. For much of Friday night, Indiana looked close to taking a commanding 3-1 series lead against OKC. But self-inflicted wounds — missed free throws, poor rebounding and a second-chance point deficit — along with a stagnant offense helped the Thunder pull out the 111-104 win and even the series at 2-2. Advertisement 'They had 38 free throws, and that was a problem,' Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said. 'They missed four. We missed eight. The difference of four is significant. 'There's a lot of little things going on, but this series is going to come down to the basics, and our inability to effectively rebound when we needed to is the biggest thing. (Getting outrebounded) 43 to 33 and a bunch of second-chance points made it difficult, and in the end, impossible.' Indiana made 25 of 33 free throws in a game with 71 combined attempts. Oklahoma City went 34 of 38 from the stripe. 'It definitely changed the rhythm of the game,' Andrew Nembhard said of the number of free throws taken. 'We probably want to foul less.' Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin, typically an 80 percent free-throw shooter, couldn't replicate his Game 3 heroics and missed three key free throws down the stretch when Indiana had a chance to re-take the lead. 'I think it's very tough. It's a very tough time,' Mathurin said. 'I've made those free throws, and I love making tough free throws, but the only thing I can do is to knock them down next time.' Mathurin also committed two fouls away from the ball, and the Thunder were awarded a free throw plus possession each time. Indiana lost the offensive rebound battle 12-7 and was outscored 23-11 in second-chance points. The Pacers also turned the ball over 15 times. 'Their second shots were a big problem,' Carlisle said. 'When you're unable to rebound, it's hard to continue to play with pace and tempo. … But give them credit. They kept attacking, kept attacking, and their defense was great down the stretch.' Pascal Siakam scored a team-high 20 points with eight rebounds and had five steals, four of which came in the first quarter. Tyrese Haliburton added 18 points with seven assists but committed five turnovers. Obi Toppin contributed 17 points and seven rebounds. Indiana finished the game with five players in double figures, but it wasn't enough to close the game. Advertisement 'They made shots. They went to the free-throw line a lot of times,' Siakam said. 'And we just didn't execute at the end of the game. Rebounding, turnovers … there's so many things in the game that we just didn't do right, and it came at the right moment and they made the right play.' In the final period, the Pacers went ice cold and scored just 17 points, managing only five points over the final four minutes. Indiana made just 5 of 18 field goals, missing all eight of its 3-pointers, and shot just 27.8 percent during the final quarter. The Thunder played with desperation, and Oklahoma City guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 15 of his 35 points in the final five minutes of the game. 'Fouls were an issue,' Carlisle said. 'He's a great player. That's the other issue. He's the MVP, and we had a couple good stands against him. We had some terrific opportunities that we did not cash in on. Hey, you're up seven at home. You have to dig in and find a way, and we were unable to do it tonight.' As the series shifts to OKC for Game 5, the Pacers have a tough road in a hostile environment and plenty of mistakes to clean up. After dominating for much of Game 4, they let the game get away from them and appeared out of sorts as they missed shots and struggled to play their brand of basketball for the full 48 minutes. 'We gotta do a better job. I gotta do a better job of keeping pace in the game,' Haliburton said. 'I did a much better job of that last game, especially down the stretch keeping pace, getting rebounds, and really pushing. So we gotta do a better job of when we do get stops, get down running. A lot of times in that fourth, we were fouling too much, taking the ball out, having to kind of run something versus just random basketball.' After the loss, though, the Pacers seemed confident in their ability to bounce back, as they've done since March. Advertisement 'We've won some games on the road before, so I think we just gotta go out there with our confidence,' Siakam said. 'We'll watch (film on) what we did wrong and try to get better at those things. We just gotta go out there and do things that we've done in the past. 'And we have that confidence that we can do it. It's gonna take a lot, and it's gonna be hard, but I think we have the group capable of doing that again.' (Photo of Tyrese Haliburton: Maddie Meyer / Getty Images)
USA Today
23 minutes ago
- USA Today
Legendary Rams QB named among highest-graded players since 2000
Legendary Rams QB named among highest-graded players since 2000 The Los Angeles Rams' history over the past 25 years has been up and down. The franchise enjoyed a great start to the millennium with two consecutive playoff appearances and one Super Bowl berth before not seeing much success until Sean McVay became head coach in 2017. But over the past 25 years, one Rams quarterback made Pro Football Network's top-25 highest-graded quarterbacks list: Kurt Warner. He was a three-time Pro Bowler, two-time All-Pro and two-time MVP during his six years with the Rams after going undrafted in 1994 and playing for the AFL and NFL Europe. "Kurt Warner's career started before the QB+ era, but it includes some of the best years measured by the metric. In 2000, he led the NFL in completion percentage (67.7%), yards per completion (14.6), and net yards per pass attempt (9.03). "Warner made his mark with the St. Louis Rams during 'The Greatest Show on Turf,' one of the NFL's most explosive offenses. He later had a successful run with the Arizona Cardinals, earning a Pro Bowl nod in 2008 at age 37. Warner finished his career with 32,344 passing yards, 208 touchdowns, and a 93.7 passer rating. In 2001, he led the league with 4,830 yards and 36 TD passes. "From an advanced standpoint, Warner's numbers weren't elite but were solid — +0.13 EPA per dropback and 7.5 net yards per attempt. Those numbers, combined with his playoff success, helped earn him a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame." As PFN noted, Warner was the leader of "The Greatest Show on Turf" alongside Torry Holt, Isaac Bruce and Marshall Faulk. The group only won on Super Bowl together in 1999, but proved to be one of the most exciting teams to watch in the NFL at the turn of the century. Now, his bust sits in the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a sign of one of the greatest Rams players ever.
Fox News
23 minutes ago
- Fox News
Oklahoma City Thunder Tie Things Up in Game 4 of NBA Finals Against Indiana Pacers
The Oklahoma City Thunder tie things up in Game 4 of the NBA Finals against the Indiana Pacers. #OKCThunder #IndianaPacers #NBA #NBAFinals Learn more about your ad choices. Visit FOX News Radio
