LeBron James was recently ridiculed on social media following a video clip of the star athlete suggesting that he is not good at “accepting praise. Some labeled the claims of the legendary athlete, who many consider the greatest NBA player of this generation, to be “absurd.”
Conservative social media personality Nick Adams posted a short clip of James at a press conference during the 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend. “I’ve never been that great with accepting like praise, this weird feeling for me,” LeBron said. “I never really talked about much, but it’s just a weird feeling for me,” he added. Adams wrote in his caption, “LeBron saying ‘I’ve never been great accepting praise’ would be like President Trump saying he’s never been great negotiating deals. It’s so absurd it’s laughable.”
Given that LeBron James is one of the most famous and recognizable athletes on the planet with a long list of accolades, it would seem odd for him to claim that he is uncomfortable receiving praise and being in the spotlight for his achievements. Some have even speculated that James is even an outright “cold-blooded liar” over this statement.
Aside from appearing in thousands of nationally televised NBA games with millions of viewers, he has appeared in various movies, documentaries, and other prominent forms of media. Moreover, “King James,” the current Los Angeles Lakers forward, has essentially been the face of every single franchise he has played for.
The question from the press that prompted James’ statement on receiving praise pertained to a potential “farewell tour” as he is inevitably reaching the twilight years of his career at the age of 39. LeBron indicated that he hasn’t made an exact determination on a set number of seasons he has left in the NBA.
“I have not mapped out how many seasons I have left. I noticed that that I also don’t know if I will. I was asked this question a couple of days ago. Will you kind of take the farewell tour? Or will you kind of just Tim Duncan it?” he continued.
LeBron addd further context to his thoughts on the final years of his nearly two-decade long career, illustrating there are a variety of different factors influencing his feelings on the matter. Without providing a definite conclusion of when, James did confirm that the end of his career would be coming soon.
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“I’m fifty-fifty. I’m gonna be honest, because there’s times where I feel like I guess I owe it to my fans. That’s been a longest journey with me for two decades plus to be able to give them that moment. You know, where’s every city whatever the case where they give you flowers, whatever the case may be, you know, and that seems cool,” he said.
“I don’t know I’ve seen Mike’s I’ve seen Kobe’s, seen a lot of guys. I just don’t know how much how I feel. I don’t know if I will feel great about it. Maybe the only child I mean maybe but but I don’t know. But I am a Laker. Have you ever been very happy the last six years. Hopefully it stays that way. But I don’t have to have the answer to how long it is or wish you would have formed. Hopefully it is with Lakers. It’s a great organization and so many greats. With at I don’t know how it’s gonna end, but just come. It’s coming for sure,” James concluded.
See footage below from the press conference.
Note: The featured image is a screenshot from the embedded video.