Were LeBron James’ comments criticizing ring culture fair? According to Colin Cowherd, no, particularly given LeBron’s history.
In a conversation with Steve Nash — a Basketball Hall of Famer and two-time NBA MVP — LeBron criticized the idea that when the achievements of players like Nash, Charles Barkley and Allen Iverson are mentioned, the fact that they never won an NBA Championship is inevitably brought up. He also voiced his frustration that even when a player wins a ring, it’s not good enough.
In response, Cowherd acknowledged the greatness of Barkley, Iverson and NFL great Dan Marino but noted that they do fall short of Michael Jordan and Tom Brady, adding “and the reason is the trophies.”
Cowherd was particularly critical of LeBron being the person to bring this up, citing his long history of ring chasing.
“LeBron has no chance to win a trophy with the current Laker roster, so now they don’t matter,” Cowherd said. “He spent his entire career pursuing titles. You think he went to Miami to lay on the beach? He went there for Riley and Spoelstra and a better owner and a better roster. He didn’t go West. He stayed in the weak East, to keep getting to Finals. LeBron pursued Finals and Michael, six for six, for years. He’s talked about idolizing Michael. What’s the stat? What stat do we talk about with Michael? If I said to you, ‘How many total points did Michael score?’ You don’t know. ‘How many division titles did Michael win?’ You don’t know. ‘How did he do in the Finals?’ Six for six. That’s his number.”
Cowherd continued with the idea that ring culture has only become a problem for LeBron recently, as it’s become clear that equalling or exceeding Jordan’s six rings might not be plausible.
“So back when he knew he had a chance to win several more, the ring mattered,” Cowherd said. “Because back then, it was still, ‘Hey, can he surpass Michael and get to six, seven, eight?’ Now he can’t and now ‘rings don’t matter.’ Rings absolutely are the difference.”