WWE Legend Ric Flair Under Fire Over LeBron James Claim As ESPN Analyst Breaks Into Heated Rant

The Los Angeles Lakers’ regular season came to an end with a 124-108 blowout win over the New Orleans Pelicans. On the back of a monster performance from LeBron James, the team claimed the 8th seed in the Western Conference. The regular season finale saw James record his fifth triple-double of the season, lighting up the scoreboard with 28 points, 17 assists, and 11 rebounds. Following James’ impressive outing, WWE legend Ric Flair used this opportunity to fire shots at former Knicks reporter Alan Hahn for comparing James to an “old iPhone” last year.

“LeBron recorded another triple-double a year after you called him an old man. You Stupid SOB. It’s So Embarrassing To Have You Report About Sports,” Ric Flair wrote on X. Addressing Flair’s jab on ESPN’s Get Up, Alan Hahn slammed the former pro-wrestler, stating, “First of all, I was embarrassed when I saw this for him. I don’t know wrestling that well, I called my friend Peter Rosenberg, and I just said, ‘Tell me what’s going on with Ric Flair,’ and he said, ‘Look, this guy was so famous, so popular, that they said that you could have him and a broom in a match and people want to watch it.’ If this is where he is in his career, I’ll put my money on the broom.”

Alan Hahn also reminded viewers of the context of his previous remarks, adding, “Speaking of brooms, when we had this take, the Lakers were getting swept by the Denver Nuggets…And by the way, no one talks about being old more than LeBron James so give me a break.” As Hahn mentions, he commented about James’ diminishing athleticism after the team’s 108-103 Game 2 loss against the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals, a series that the Lakers eventually lost. During the game, James missed several shots, going 0-of-6 from beyond the arc, and ended the night with 22 points, 10 assists, and nine rebounds after logging in 40 minutes.

Following the Lakers’ loss in Game 2, Hahn said on Get Up, “The very first thing I thought of after watching this game was that LeBron James’ battery is drained. It’s like an old iPhone. When you plug it to charge, it never gets back to 100 percent.” Hopefully, LeBron’s 21st campaign has helped clear any doubts Hahn had about James’ declining athletic prowess.

Looking at LeBron James’ 2023–24 NBA regular season

James silenced all his detractors, averaging 25.7 points, 8.3 assists, and 7.3 rebounds per game this season. That too, on a career-high 41.0% from beyond the arc, a sharp increase from his 32.1% last season. Funny enough, James’ three-point percentage is even better than Stephen Curry, who connected 40.8% of his shots from the deep this season. James also shot 54.0% from the field and 73.0% at the rim.

James’ 21st campaign also included a lot of firsts. On Mar. 2, during a game against the Denver Nuggets, James became the first player in NBA history to reach the 40,000-point milestone. And the King did the unprecedented once again as he entered the 40k points, 11k rebounds, and 11k assists club in their final regulation game on Sunday.

Moreover, he has done all this while suiting up for 71 games this year, which is the most he has since the 2017-18 season. This is remarkable not only because he is 39 years old, but also because James hasn’t played in more than 56 games in four of his five previous seasons. The four-time NBA champion has also stepped up his clutch game, leading the NBA in fourth-quarter baskets this season with an impressive 197 field goals made. More proof of his late-game heroics came against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday when he sealed the victory for the team with a reverse windmill dunk.

However, the real test begins on Tuesday, when the Lakers will meet the Pelicans again for the play-in tournament. If the Lakers win, they’ll qualify as the seventh seed; if not, then they’ll have a shot at redemption against the winner of the Sacramento Kings vs. Golden State Warriors single-elimination round.