LeBron James is arguably the most scrutinized player in the history of the NBA. Whether it be on the court or off it, James’ actions and words are always put through a trial by the media and fans of the NBA. LeBron, thus, is very careful about what he says and does in the spotlight.
But these kinds of responses have still garnered LeBron a reputation of being sensitive. And his former teammate Dwyane Wade agreed, in an interview with Rich Eisen, but believes that isn’t a bad thing, and that people should remember that James is a human being at the end of the day, and will react in that way (1:22 onward).
“We do care, we all care what people say about us, people expect that because he is so great that he should not care but, we do care. He is not a robot, he may look like it, but he is actually human.”
Wade and LeBron are very close, almost like brothers. They played together for 4 years and won 2 NBA championships, and have a familial-type relationship. James even came out and stood up for Wade’s son Zaire from critics, who he felt were unnecessarily bringing the young man down.
Many fans and analysts have accused LeBron James of being sensitive. This is because he chooses to respond to certain fan criticism. This past year, when James was seemingly being omitted in the conversation for greatest scorers, he put out a slightly controversial post calling himself a pass-first guy but still being a great scorer.
In 2017 when Charles Barkley accused him of not wanting to compete, defending himself while also questioning Barkley’s credibility. LeBron is usually no-nonsense. He won’t respond to anyone unless his character is being called into question. But regardless, Wade is correct in asking for more empathy for LeBron and other players.
