LeBron James is once again in the middle of a media controversy.
Once again it’s about something he said rather than his play on the court.
And now this ESPN host used one word to describe LeBron James that will leave you speechless.
ESPN First Take host Stephen A. Smith called LeBron James a liar for claiming that he did not care about losing last year’s MVP award to Milwaukee Bucks superstar “The Greek Freak” Giannis Antetokounmpo.
“I think all you guys know me, it’s never been about individual, it’s all about the team’s success. That’s all that matters,” James told ESPN after the Lakers 113 to 106 win over the Bucks last Thursday. “I can care less about that. I just try to play well and help our team win versus any opponent, and that’s what it’s all about.”
That was a different tune than James was singing last year when he told The Athletic losing out on the MVP to Antetokounmpo infuriated him.
“It pissed me off,” James told The Athletic. “That’s my true answer. It pissed me off because out of 101 votes, I got 16 first-place votes. That’s what pissed me off more than anything.”
On First Take, Smith ripped LeBron James for lying to the public on national TV about his true feelings about the MVP award.
“I think that LeBron stood in front of the cameras last night and lied to the American public, and anybody else who was listening,” Smith declared. “But I’m not knocking him for it. I think that, listen, LeBron wouldn’t be as great as he is if all he thought about was the outcome for the team. Especially in the sport of basketball, there is some individual pride that seeps into the equation, where you put dude’s on notice, ‘This is who the hell I am. Don’t forget.’”
LeBron James is so great that he could win the MVP every single season.
His record of playing in ten NBA Finals since 2007 is unmatched in modern NBA history.
Smith said he wasn’t knocking James for being selfish or putting personal accolades ahead of the team’s accomplishments.
But he said James was pretending to be humble because every superstar athlete of James’ caliber is driven by a tremendous amount of ego.
“There’s no way you can be as great as him, and you never have that intestinal fortitude and that individual pride to put your greatness on display,” Smith continued, “you don’t spend a-million-and-a-half dollars on your physique, your body, your conditioning, and everything that comes with it to be as great as you can be just for the team to win a championship. No, you want to be the reason or a primary reason why you win that championship.”
Sports with Balls will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this ongoing story.
