Lakers’ LeBron James criticizes NBA’s ring culture: ‘I don’t know why it’s the end all, be all of everything’

LeBron James’ greatness as a basketball player has led to an embarrassment of riches that includes a one-of-a kind career, a 1.2 billion net worth and a legacy that includes playing with his own son in an NBA game. 

While there are many more pros than cons, James’ greatness comes with a price in terms of constantly being compared to the other all-time greats of the game, most especially Michael Jordan, who like James is always in the “Greatest of All-Time” conversation. Not surprisingly, championships won is always mentioned when the James-Jordan debate is had, a byproduct of the NBA’s “ring culture” that is an enigma to James, himself a four-time NBA champion. 

“I do not know the answer,” James recently said on his podcast when he was asked about the origin of ring culture and basketball’s perceived obsession with it. “I wish I had the answer to this, but I’m not sure. Man, it’s funny. Yeah, I don’t know. I don’t know why it’s discussed so much in our sport, and why it’s the end all, be all of everything.” 

James used Allen Iverson, Charles Barkley and podcast co-host Steve Nash as examples of great players that never won a title. James added that, while their careers are somewhat diminished by some because they didn’t win a title, the same thing isn’t said about other great players in other sports who never won a ring. 

“It’s like saying Peyton Manning can’t be in the same room with [Tom] Brady or [Patrick] Mahomes because he only has [two rings],” James said. “Or telling me that Dan Marino is not the greatest slinger of all time, but he can’t be in the room with those guys because he didn’t win a championship. They don’t discuss those things. … Did Barry Bonds win a World Series? I don’t think so. … You can’t sit here and tell me that he’s not the greatest baseball player to ever touch a bat. I just, I don’t understand where it came from. I don’t know where it started. I just hope that we just appreciate more what guys have been able to accomplish.” 

James also alluded to the fact that basketball is a team sport. While leading a team to a title is undoubtedly a testament to a player’s ability, should a great player that didn’t win title be punished because he simply wasn’t put in the right position to do so? That appears to be one of the many issues James seems to have with the topic. 

“You automatically dismiss people and their careers when you say, ‘Hey, he didn’t win a ring,'” James said. “It’s like, have you actually sat down and looked at this guy’s career and see what he accomplished? Jerry West went to like nine straight NBA Finals and was only able to win one, and he’s the logo of our league. You can’t sit here and tell me that, ‘OK, because he only won one, he can’t be in the same room with people who won two or three or four.'” 

When discussing the matter, you need to look no further than James and Jordan’s careers. Jordan won six titles in an eight-year span while playing for the same team. Jordan never lost an NBA Finals, which somehow excuses his three consecutive playoff defeats to the Detroit Pistons before he finally overcame them en route to winning his first title in 1991. 

James has played in four more Finals than Jordan, but he is often criticized for losing as many Finals (six) as Jordan won. James also doesn’t get enough credit for carrying a relatively weak Cavaliers team to the NBA Finals (the franchise’s first) when he just 21 years old. James (who also won back-to-back titles with the Heat in the middle of his career) then carried the 2015 Cavaliers to a 2-1 series lead over Golden State without his two best teammates before leading Cleveland from a 3-1 deficit to dethrone the 73-9 Warriors in 2016. The Cavs went back but lost the next two Finals to Warriors after they acquired Kevin Durant.

James’ story is the textbook example as to why careers shouldn’t solely be judged on championships. And while he is surely aware of this, James is obviously hoping that more fans and media members start to act accordingly when discussing the game’s all-time great players, himself included.