Throughout the years, the number of LeBron James' detractors has only grown, but the narratives they have been formulating, which would supposedly militate against his case as the greatest NBA player of all time, have not really gotten any stronger, but only more ludicrous. One of the most common knocks is that nobody fears the megastar, a script recently followed by someone from his inner circle, no less, in Mario Chalmers.
Chalmers, who played with James back in their Miami Heat days from 2010 to 2014, recently doubled down on his criticism of LeBron when they were still teammates. But more importantly, he went with Michael Jordan as his pick for the GOAT title, dismissing James as being someone who supposedly does not strike enough fear in the hearts of his opponents. Heck, he even wondered by Scottie Pippen is not the point of comparison for The King.
Mario Chalmers disses new 76ers star LeBron James with the same old boring script
The former nine-year veteran guard has always been someone who has had a complicated relationship with James on and off the court, but he seems to have completely gone away from being on the LeBron train. However, the arguments he raised as to why the new 76ers star cannot be deemed the GOAT are actually debunked by what he witnessed with his own eyes.
Chalmers claims that Jordan is the GOAT on the strength of his 6-0 Finals record, underscoring his dominance by saying that there were only three teams that won the title in his heyday, whereas James' era had four to five teams winning the chip. Well, that actually only highlights the fact that LeBron played in a tougher era and faced far stronger competition in the Finals.
You would think that the player who shared the court with James and faced, well, the dynasty Tim Duncan-led Spurs twice in back-to-back years would have a firmer grasp of what elite competition looks like, right? Well, that's Chalmers for you, apparently.
The narrative that nobody feared LeBron is also too tired to even entertain. Chalmers, like most of James' naysayers, tends to dwell too much on the megastar's approachable disposition in gauging his intimidation factor when, in reality, that only matters in the context of the actual basketball played. No team out there goes into any game with James on the other side and does not approach it with appropriate fear. To hold otherwise would be disingenuous.
LeBron James may be nearing 42 now, but the Philadelphia 76ers are hella lucky to have him on board. He is still the biggest ceiling-raiser in the league in high-stakes moments, and the abrasive sentiments of a bitter ex-teammate will not be nearly enough to change how history will see him when it's all said and done.
Add us as a preferred source on Google