NBA fans unforgiving of LeBron James even on his birthday: "38 and still not better than Jordan btw"
LA Lakers star forward LeBron James turns 38 years old today. James hasn’t shown too many signs of aging so far, at least offensively. He is still averaging 27.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 1.1 steals per game on 49.8% shooting this season. However, his strong play hasn’t translated to wins as the Lakers are just 14-21 and 13th in the Western Conference. So rather than celebrate James for his longevity and legendary career on his 38th birthday, NBA Twitter took yet another opportunity to ridicule the star.
Happy Birthday, LeBron James 👑 https://t.co/aNI67mkyew
So on that note, here are some NBA fan reactions to LeBron James’ 38th birthday
NBA fans react to LeBron James’ 38th birthday
For some reason, most fans used LeBron James’ birthday as a kickstarter for an NBA GOAT debate. This came as countless fans pointed out that they believe Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan is the real GOAT over James.
“38 and still not better than Jordan btw,” one fan said.
@TheNBACentral 38 and still not better than Jordan btw
“Happy birthday to the SECOND greatest of all time,” another fan said.
@TheNBACentral Happy brithday to the SECOND greatest of all time.
“Happy birthday but MJ is still better,” another said.
@TheNBACentral Happy birthday but mj still better
The Jordan comments just kept coming too.
“MJ better,” another fan added.
@TheNBACentral MJ better
“Jordan’s better,” yet another added.
@TheNBACentral Jordan’s better
One fan also took the opportunity to make the case for late Lakers legend Kobe Bryant being better than James.
“Kobe better than LeBum 🤣🔥,” the fan said as they shared a recycled meme.
@TheNBACentral Kobe better then LeBum 🤣🔥 https://t.co/eeiEjQLIAN
Meanwhile, some fans appeared to express negativity towards James for no reason at all.
“We don’t care about that fraud,” one fan said.
@TheNBACentral We don’t care about that fraud
“I swear to god this n**ga has 8 birthdays a year,” another complained.
@TheNBACentral I swear to god this nigga has 8 birthdays a year
There were even some Lakers fans who had a hard time staying positive given their team's nightmare season.
“It’s not really happy playing in LA right now. This team is awful,” one fan said.
@TheNBACentral It’s not really happy playing in LA right now. This team is awful.
“Still the GOAT, but did he quit on the Lakers?! Has LeBron James GIVEN UP On The Lakers?!” another captioned a promo for their YouTube video.
@TheNBACentral Still the GOAT, but did he quit on the Lakers?!
Has LeBron James GIVEN UP On The Lakers?!
youtu.be/MSZK0RWacs8 https://t.co/0vbBlW7OoW
Another joked that Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka should not be invited to James’ birthday party for failing to put a competitive roster around James.
“When Rob Pelinka tries to enter LeBron’s big birthday bash,” the fan captioned a photo of Pelinka entering the Lakers’ locker room unprompted.
@TheNBACentral When Rob Pelinka tries to enter Lebron’s big birthday bash: https://t.co/jWbTyJNOVW
Despite the overwhelming negativity, a few fans still wished James a happy birthday. Most of those fans also referred to him as the GOAT in some way or another.
“Happy Birthday GOAT @KingJames,” one fan said.
@TheNBACentral Happy Birthday GOAT @KingJames https://t.co/b2KJAWXOlX
“Legoat,” another said.
@TheNBACentral legoat https://t.co/BKioSWPpS0
“The greatest basketball player of all time,” another added.
@TheNBACentral The greatest basketball player of all time
Finally, one fan added that it would be fitting for James to finish with 38 points on his 38th birthday.
“Bro finna end the night with 38 points,” the fan said.
@TheNBACentral Bro finna end the night with 38 points.
The LA Lakers are set to face off against the Atlanta Hawks on the road tonight. The Lakers will be looking to get back on track by securing a win for LeBron James on his big night. However, James is currently questionable to play due to left ankle soreness.
Also read: Fans absolutely livid over LeBron James' complaints and hints to leave struggling LA Lakers - "Jordan never did this"