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As the NBA world reacts to Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James' ‘face of the NBA' media criticism, The Ringer's head honcho Bill Simmons weighed in on the topic. Reacting to Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star Anthony Edwards declining to take on the responsibility of being the new face of the league, James didn't blame him. And mentioned the media's daily criticism as going hand in hand with the heavy responsibility.
Simmons disagreed wholeheartedly with James' take and says the generations before LeBron had it much worse, per The Bill Simmons Podcast.
“I think this is the nicest era to be an NBA star that we’ve ever had. It’s amazing to me that people dwell on the negativity,” Simmons said. “There [are] other reasons for the negativity, but if you go backwards and you look at the 70s, the 80s, the 90s, and the 2000s and how players were treated and discussed, it’s no contest compared to what it is now.”
Most NBA stars who grow to become the face of the league will face criticism. However, it's not exclusive to the NBA; athletes from other sports face the same kind of heat, according to Simmons.
“It’s not just the NBA. Everyone has more access to the alternate side that you want to hear in all vocations in life. It’s not an NBA thing; it’s an everything thing,” Simmons added. “So to say it’s just devoted to the NBA is just ludicrous, it’s just what life is like now.”
Simmons also added the way things were in the past. In the 80s, Dr. J was hated for not winning a championship with the Philadelphia 76ers until joining forces with Moses Malone; fans were also harsh toward Boston Celtics' Larry Bird, Detroit Pistons' Isiah Thomas, and 76ers' Charles Barkley.
This trend continued into the '90s with Chicago Bulls' Michael Jordan for being too selfish before winning his first title, and into the early 2000s with 76ers' Allen Iverson, Lakers' Shaquille O'Neal for his weight, and Kobe Bryant's rape allegation.
LeBron James reacts to Anthony Edwards after Lakers win
Lakers superstar LeBron James responded to All-Star Anthony Edwards after a 111-102 win against the Timberwolves. ESPN's Stephen A Smith replied to James.
James blasted the media's “weird energy,” per Spectrum Sports Net.
“Why do you wanna be the face of the league when all the people that cover our game and talk about our game on a day-to-day basis s*** on everybody? To have that responsibility is weird. It’s weird energy,” James said.
James and the Lakers will host the Pelicans on Tuesday.
