John Stockton explained last year why he thinks LeBron James‘ behavior on teams damages his GOAT case. In an interview clip from the DNP-CD Podcast that is now going viral, Stockton said he doesn’t like LeBron exerting so much control over the team and thinks his jumping from players and teams devalues the journey and hard work required to win a championship.
“I don’t know what it’s like to sit in that front office and have things dictating to you like a plan, and it appears LeBron is. I don’t know for sure that he is, but it appears so. I think it’d be maddening as a teammate to know that you can be expendable for one of his guys that he thinks he needs to play with.”
“The iffiness it causes with the team, the iffiness that it causes upstairs. I don’t like it either. I’ll bring up Michael Jordan here a little bit. We were a similar ilk with the Jazz. I like when guys just tighten their belts up and say ‘You know what? Let’s get to work, we just got to get better. Play harder, we got to play smarter’.”
“Instead of just ‘Huh, where is the grass greener, I’m going to go there and win a championship’. I think it devalues that. You’re not climbing the mountain, you’re taking the helicopter to the top of it. I’m not a fan of it, but who cares what I think.”
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Stockton clearly feels that it isn’t just winning a championship in the NBA that is valuable, but also doing it the right way. The hard work and grind required to win a championship is just as essential as the championship itself for Stockton, which is why he gave such a scathing breakdown of James’ activity in the league.
LeBron James Cemented His Legacy As One Of The Best Ever
Despite Stockton’s criticism, there is no denying the fact that James has established himself as one of the all-time greats of the sport. The excellence he has displayed for over 20 years, combined with the accolades he has racked up, there is no denying that he belongs in the conversation for the best of all time.
James has won 4 NBA championships, 4 Finals MVPs, 4 regular season MVPs, made 20 All-Star appearances, and been selected to 20 All-NBA teams, including 13 All-NBA First Team selections. And last year, James led the Lakers to the inaugural NBA Cup, and was named the MVP of the in-season tournament.
While his methods may have been unpopular; joining the Heat with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, forming a superteam in the Cavs with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, or even recruiting Anthony Davis to the Lakers – James was able to find championship success by doing so.
Furthermore, it should also be noted that James was forced to adapt to the NBA’s increasingly competitive ‘big three’ model thanks to teams like the Celtics and Spurs, who kept him from winning championships early in his career.
While James went about it in a more direct and controlling manner, he did what many of these teams’ front offices were doing. James can actually be credited for the current period of player empowerment – where players have more say in the decisions they and their franchises make in the league.
Many players from the old guard don’t like this, as they came up at a time when players were only expected to play, and did not have major input in decisions concerning the franchise and the roster.
Regardless of how one looks at it, James has left a legacy in the NBA that will not soon be surpassed. And while a lot of people don’t like how he went about it, he did what few in the NBA learned how to during their time – adapt to the climate of the league.
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