Shannon Sharpe has been one of LeBron James’ staunchest defenders on sports television, but he vehemently disagreed with the 38-year-old’s recent comments. James claimed he would still be the same player had he never gone to the Miami Heat, but Sharpe doesn’t think that’d be the case.
“Hell no, I strongly disagree, I vehemently disagree, I strenuously disagree with what he said,” Sharpe said on First Take. “At the time that he arrived in Miami, he had two regular-season MVPs and one Finals appearance through his first seven seasons.”
Sharpe believes LeBron wouldn’t have been in the GOAT conversation if not for his stint with the Heat.
“LeBron, do you realize the reason why you got to the GOAT conversation because of what transpired in Miami,” Sharpe continued. “You won two more Finals MVPs, you won two more regular season MVPs, you went to four straight Finals. LeBron, how can you say that your career was going to be the same without going to Miami?”
Sharpe says there can be no case for James to be a top-five player of all time without his accomplishments with the Heat. He believes LeBron is being dismissive of them because Pat Riley never gave him control over the roster, but wants him to let that go now.
“To sit in front of the media and say your career was going to be the career? Come on, LeBron, man,” Sharpe added. “You’ve gotta stop this. It’s okay to give Miami Heat the credit they deserve.”
We almost never see Sharpe being completely against something James has said, but it speaks to how much he disliked that comment. There’s no doubt that LeBron wouldn’t be part of the GOAT conversation if you take away his accomplishments with the Heat, for whom he averaged 26.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, 6.7 assists, 1.7 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game.
In four seasons with the team from 2010 to 2014, he went to four straight NBA Finals, winning two of them in 2012 and 2013. In those two seasons, he’d also win Finals MVP and MVP.
Stephen A. Smith Also Went Off On LeBron James
Sharpe criticizing James wasn’t the only rare occurrence that took place on First Take on Tuesday. For once, Stephen A. Smith agreed with everything Sharpe had to say as he too took issue with James’ comments.
“What the hell is wrong with you, LeBron,” Smith asked. “What the hell is wrong with you? … Do y’all understand the greatness of a Hall of Famer by the name of Dwyane Wade? He was a great player. He was a great leader.”
Smith explained how Dwyane Wade always sat next to LeBron during press conferences as he was mentally warped. Smith feels that with James’ mentality when he arrived in Miami, he would have never beaten the likes of Michael Jordan and won a championship. He firmly believes it was only because of that stint in Miami, that James is the force he is today.
“But because he got to Miami and learned what it took to be a champion, he’s been unstoppable since,” Smith concluded.
.@stephenasmith disagrees with LeBron's recent comments saying he'd be the same player without his Heat stint 👀
"What the hell is wrong with you LeBron? … Because he got to Miami and learned what it took to be a champion, he's been unstoppable since." pic.twitter.com/3FYN0QzPJr
— First Take (@FirstTake) November 7, 2023
It is definitely true that it was in Miami that James learned what it took to win and Wade helped him a lot. Where I disagree with Smith, is that I think LeBron would have figured it out eventually. It might have taken him a bit longer but he was too great of a talent to not get to this point at some stage.
LeBron James Doubled Down On His Comments
While he was getting some pushback from the talking heads on television, James was not in the mood to walk back those comments. He doubled down instead, as LeBron said he was the “Chosen One,” and explained what would have happened had he never joined the Heat.
The 38-year-old said he’d have been just as dominant, but did admit that he might have ended up with fewer championships. I completely agree with LeBron there and he showed some awareness too by acknowledging that he might not have won as much.
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