LeBron James went full bare-back for his pre-game warmups against the Houston Rockets tonight. While some fans might overlook LeBron’s partial nudity, Hall of Fame point guard Isiah Thomas ripped the NBA legend for his unprofessional fashion choice.
“I one hundred percent object to this,” said Thomas. “As a GM or coach, I would never let one of my players go out on the floor looking like this. We are a professional NBA league. We ain’t Summer League, we ain’t at the YMCA.”
Back in IT’s playing days, the NBA had a much stricter dress code and he wants to bring it back to preserve the sanctity of the league. According to Thomas, each player should be wearing a suit before games.
“I just think the professionalism in our NBA league has changed so much. I like LeBron, I’m a fan of his,” said Thomas. “But to walk out on the floor before the game with no shirt on and shoot… where are we at? What are we doing? Adam Silver, if you want to fine somebody, fine that.”
After a crucial victory against the Mavericks on Wednesday, LeBron and the Lakers are suiting up for a rematch against the Houston Rockets, who will be missing all five starters. At first glance, this should be an easy victory for LeBron James but now he’s at the center of debates for daring to show off his shirtless body on national television.
The NBA is considered the highest level of basketball in the world and in the past, the league has gone out of its way to portray an image of professionalism. Players had to abide by a certain dress code and they could be fined for things like foul language and obscene gestures.
As one of the top players in the 1980s and early 90s, Thomas helped enhance the NBA’s image both on and off the court. He always acted like a true professional while dominating for the Pistons with career averages of 19.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 9.3 assists per game on 41.7% shooting.
Today, Thomas is no longer active in the NBA but it doesn’t stop him from calling out modern players on their blunders. I.T. has always been a big fan of King James and he’s even tapped him as the GOAT over Michael Jordan.
Still, it’s no secret that LeBron doesn’t have the same mentality or approach as Michael did. LeBron is much more casual compared to Michael, both in his relationship with fellow players and how he presents himself on game day.
At 40 years old and with 21 years of experience in the league, LeBron didn’t think twice about pre-game shoot-around with his shirt off and he sees nothing wrong with it. In his eyes, the NBA has changed a lot over the years and what’s acceptable today may not be what was acceptable 30-40 years ago.
As for the call for Adam Silver to fine LeBron, that’s almost surely not going to happen. LeBron is the face of the NBA and his record is clean. No matter how unprofessional some claim that he looks, LeBron never gets into trouble and he sets the example for millions of aspiring young athletes around the world.
