LeBron James is done caring about his haters
LeBron James shuts himself off from the world during the playoffs. He said he is done caring about his haters and what others think of him.
LeBron James remains one of the most polarizing figures in the NBA.
Every player who takes a run as the best in the league and one of the best of all time is going to find himself in the crosshairs of criticism. James has always been that figure.
Everything he has done throughout his (mostly) celebrated career has also been critiqued. At times he has been captivating and exciting. Other times he has been the target of hatred — his Decision to leave for Miami is still legacy-defining for many fans and his three Finals losses disqualify him from GOAT status in many people’s eyes.
Even as James continues to assault the NBA record books and make his claim to be among the league’s pantheon of greatness, there are plenty who continue to doubt him and try to knock him down. Something is always going to irk those who dislike him for whatever reason. This is the Twitter age after all — everyone needs a hot take.
But James, much more reflective now than his younger days, has that legacy firmly in his sights. He, as he admitted to Lee Jenkins of Sports Illustrated this summer, is chasing the ghost of a certain legend.
James is not listening to those catcalls anymore. He tells Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com he tunes out all the noise that surrounds his career now.
"“I really don’t hear the noise. I couldn’t really care less. It really doesn’t matter to me,” James said.“The narrative and people writing articles and things like that, I don’t care. Those things doesn’t bother me. So it’s hard for me to even tell my teammates, hey, don’t listen to it, because I don’t even get involved in it.“I stopped caring a long time ago, so it doesn’t even bother me at all.”"
James has shown no signs of slowing down. He has already passed Michael Jordan as the league’s all-time leading scorer in the Playoffs. James has almost certainly placed himself among the very best players in the NBA’s history already.
As he continues to write his legacy, there is definitely a more heated debate about where James stands in the league’s history. And that will continue to gain the ire of those who believe James is not worthy of even conversation with the top spot — six rings and such.
James is chasing his own ghosts. He clearly does not care anymore about the perception of him others have. What James cares about is how he views himself and where he places himself.
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And for that, James has turned inward to accomplish his goals and find peace and satisfaction with his legacy and his play.