Perhaps no player in NBA history has to deal with as much criticism as LeBron James. James has been a superstar in the NBA for almost 20 years, winning multiple NBA championships, MVPs, All-Star, and All-NBA nominations. But despite all the success he has had, James is not universally revered.
LeBron consistently gets criticism online from fans who do not like him and don’t think highly of him. But through the years, James has shown a unique ability to shut down the haters like very few before him have.
At no point was the hatred toward LeBron James more than when he played for the Miami Heat. In 2010, James left the Cavaliers after 7 years with the franchise to join the Heat. He formed a super-team with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, something that fans did not like at all.
Many saw it as him taking the easy way out, not being able to win a championship with the team that drafted him. But the Cavs brought LeBron no support, and he couldn’t win them a title on his own.
James’ stint in Miami was very successful. He won two NBA championships, two Finals MVPs, and two regular-season MVP titles as well. But despite this, fans didn’t think he was that great. In fact, during the 2013-14 season, James said that he could score 60-70 points in a game if he took 30-40 field goals.
That time Lebron had to prove the haters wrong pic.twitter.com/Gllq15pvaj
— Mink Flow (@currypistonn) August 19, 2021
Fans instantly started dismissing him, saying that he was only saying that out of jealousy for other players like Kobe Bryant who had reached that number multiple times before. The doubters were growing loud, so James had to shut them down.
On March 3rd, 2014, the Heat faced off against the Charlotte Bobcats. The Heat was dominating at the time, and fans expected them to get a win over the Bobcats. What they got instead was an all-time historic performance. James went on to score 61 points against the Bobcats, on 22-33 shooting, and 8 three-pointers made.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5PRGB1Khts
To this day, it remains James’ highest-scoring game. James proved all the doubters wrong and did it in absolutely remarkable fashion. LeBron continues to surpass expectations to this day, playing at the highest level even at age 36, and still being one of the best players in the world.
