Rudy Gobert Calls Lakers’ LeBron James ‘the Most Criticized Player’ of his Generation

LeBron James is one of the best players in the world right now. Despite being in his 18th season, James is proving that he can play at an elite level. James has found a lot of success in his career, having won a championship with every team he has played for. However, despite his success, James has faced a lot of criticism in his career.

Rudy Gobert stands up for LeBron James

Utah Jazz’s Rudy Gobert spoke to the press recently and came to James’ defense. He believes that James faces undue criticism from fans and analysts, despite being the most successful player in the NBA right now. Gobert said, “I mean, look at LeBron. He was actually the most criticized player of our generation, and he’s the one who has accomplished the most.”

Gobert’s belief that James is the most criticized player is not wrong. James has been under extreme media scrutiny since entering the NBA. Before he became an NBA player, he was dubbed ‘The Chosen One’ by Sports Illustrated. Many believed that he would be the successor to Michael Jordan as the new face of the NBA and an All-Time great.

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Despite the weight of these expectations, James found great success in the NBA. Fans criticized James for moving to Miami to team up with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. People believed that he did something that Michael Jordan would never do; build a super team. However, given the struggles he had in Cleveland, his decision made absolute sense.

‘The King’ wants his respect

James went back to Cleveland after four years to fulfill his promise and win the team an NBA championship. And he did just that, defeating one of the greatest teams ever in perhaps the most memorable NBA Finals series of all time. He beat the 73-9 Golden State Warriors in the Finals, after going 3-1 down in the series.

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James and the Cavs became the only team to overturn such a deficit in NBA history. But even then, the critics were not satisfied. People believed that LeBron James could not be successful in the much tougher Western Conference. However, last year he proved that statement wrong, leading the Los Angeles Lakers to the NBA Championship.

Perhaps LeBron James will not get the love and respect he deserves while his playing career is going on. When he walks away from the game, people will be forced to acknowledge his significant contributions.