"That's what they don't like" - Former Knicks guard defends LeBron James against Stephon Marbury’s GOAT argument
Former NBA star guard Stephon Marbury recently controversially weighed in on LA Lakers superstar forward LeBron James' NBA GOAT debate status. However, ex-New York Knicks guard Brandon Jennings pushed back against Marbury's opinion, highlighting how James continuously receives unwarranted criticism.
On Tuesday, NBA insider Brandon "Scoop B" Robinson shared a snippet of his recent interview with Marbury on X/Twitter. The two-time All-Star, a frequent critic of James, first recognized the four-time MVP's talent.
However, Marbury promptly pointed out that James isn't close to challenging Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan in the GOAT debate. He added that James isn't even the best player of the post-Jordan era, giving late Lakers legend Kobe Bryant the edge.
“LeBron’s a great player. Don’t get me wrong. A great, great player. Unbelievable. Amazing. But better than Michael Jordan? It’s not even the same," Marbury said. "It’s just different. In fact, it needs no explanation because we can’t talk about Jordan’s game. It’s like we need to talk about what people are not.
"People wanna rank Jordan? Jordan shouldn’t even be ranked. It should be Kobe, then LeBron, and then you can pick guys after that. There’s just no comparison, man. It’s not the same. It’s just different worlds. Different mentalities. I don’t know why Jordan’s name is mentioned in the same conversation sometimes," he continued.
Michael Jordan and LeBron James are widely considered to be neck and neck in the GOAT conversation. So, naturally, Marbury's bold take sparked further debates.
On "Gil's Arena" on Tuesday, former Washington Wizards star guard Gilbert Arenas touched on how Jordan is far more respected than James. He added that people wouldn't dare to take shots at the six-time NBA champion during his career because they revered his name and brand.
However, according to Jennings, James hasn't done anything to deserve the constant criticism he has received throughout his 21-year career.
"Well, to me, I see an 18-year-old kid come in and just do it his way, and that's what they don't like," Jennings said.
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Jennings noted that just because James came after Jordan, that shouldn't be used against him. He added that James' accomplishments since entering the NBA out of high school mean just as much to his generation as Jordan did to the previous generation.
"I get Michael Jordan, but LeBron did it, too," Jennings said.
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Stephon Marbury calls out LeBron James after getting snubbed at Olympics
On top of questioning LeBron James' all-time ranking, Stephon Marbury recently called out his toughness.
After attending James and Team USA's 98-87 2024 Paris Olympic final victory over France on Saturday, Marbury attempted to congratulate some of the top American superstars. However, after Marbury dapped up Steph Curry, James seemingly ignored him.
On Monday, Marbury made light of the situation on X/Twitter, quipping that James is "not strong enough to say something" to him.
So, Marbury doesn't appear to be the 20-time All-Star's biggest fan on or off the court.
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