When it comes down to choosing how the GOAT of basketball is, the debate between Michael Jordan and LeBron James comes down to a matter of perference.
Do you prefer winning championships? Or do you prefer longevity?
It appears that Dave Portnoy has made his stance known.
Following comments made by Nick Wright, sportscaster and personality for Fox Sports 1, the Barstool Sports President responded to Wright by absolutely annihilating James’ legacy with the Lakers.
“I’ve never been the biggest Lebron fan but anybody saying his career as a Laker so far hasn’t been a major flop is doing a disservice to LeBron. Obviously we’re not counting the micky mouse And 1 Bubble tournament as a real title. So we’re judging him on just his ability to make the playoffs for a cup of coffee? To never be a real threat?” Portnoy said on Twitter.
The most damning thing Portnoy said blasting James’ 2020 NBA title alongside Anthony Davis during the COVID-19 pandemic. Following the resumption of the NBA season at the Disney Resort in Florida where everyone was sheltered, James and Davis led the Lakers to a title over the Miami Heat by winning 4-2, a series in which James averaged 29.8 points, 11.8 rebounds and 8.5 assists.
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However, Portnoy didn’t stop there.
“Meanwhile MJ and Russell were winning titles at his age not just being cannon fodder for their opponents. So out of respect for LeBron and his legacy I refuse to describe his time in LA as anything other than a complete and utter failure. After all this was his longest consecutive tenure with any team and he didn’t win a title. He’s basically Clyde Drexler or Karl Malone Great players in their own right that never won.”
Calling James’ legacy in Los Angeles as a ‘complete and utter failure’ is a hot take.
After missing the postseason in his first season, James led the Lakers to the playoffs in six of the next seven seasons. They were eliminated three times in the first round, lost in the Western Conference finals to the Nuggets (who would later win the title that season), won the title in 2020 and fell this season in the Western Conference semifinals.
Again, Portnoy didn’t stop there.
He finished his rant when said, “LeBron doesn’t even make the roster of all time Laker greats. It’s an insult to his legacy and the legacy of a top 5 player of all time to say his tenure in LA was successful. Although I suppose if he truly was a top 5 all time player would have probably won in LA right? Hmm. Tough to wrap my brain around it.”
Portnoy’s blasting of James comes on the heels of Wright saying that James’ legacy in Los Angeles is certified and can’t be deemed anything other than successful.
“LeBron the record is 8 years with the Lakers, 7 trips to the playoffs. 2 seasons where they made a conference finals and 1 championship. And you’re going to have folks today earnestly genuinely try to argue that LeBron Lakers tenure was a failure. To which I would simply say or ask and don’t even add I’m not even asking you to add any age related qualifiers to it. Has Giannis 13 year Bucks career been a failure? Because in those 13 years, Giannis has 1 trip to the finals, 1 championship, and 1 trip to another conference finals and that’s the exact same thing as Bron in his 8 with the Lakers.”
James remains undecided about his future with sources telling the California Post that retirement remains an option. However, most believe that he will not retire — not after playing at such an elite level in the postseason and dragging his undermanned Lakers squad to a series victory over the Rockets in the first round.
Whether James elects to return to Los Angeles or not is up for debate. But it’s hard to challeneg the legacy of him as a Laker after he’s spent 8 seasons in Hollywood, his longest single-tenure with any team throughout his career.
