Watch: When LeBron James reminded heckling Golden State Warriors fans of how many rings he has, showing 'three' with his fingers
The discussion on the importance of championship rings again took center stage on Tuesday. Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson received his first career ejection in the Warriors’ 134-105 blowout loss to the Phoenix Suns. The ejection came after a back-and-forth exchange with the Suns' Devin Booker in the third quarter.
As Thompson was leaving the court, he continued to jaw at the Suns' players and fans, referencing the fact that he has four championship rings. This is in comparison to the Suns' franchise, which has never won a title. Thompson’s trash talk has since led some fans to compare it to a LeBron James moment from 2017.
Klay got ejected after things got chippy with him and D-Book. https://t.co/F5RPVdnN7Q
On Jan. 16, 2017, LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers were blown out by the Golden State Warriors, 126-91. Part-way through the game, some Warriors fans were heckling James. He responded by holding up three fingers to remind fans that he had three championship rings at the time.
One of those three rings came at the expense of the Warriors after they had just blown a 3-1 lead in the previous 2016 finals.
Cavs' LeBron James reminds Warriors fans of his three rings. https://t.co/RjDvSPbtXk
Unfortunately for LeBron James, the Warriors had already reinforced their roster with superstar forward Kevin Durant at the time. James was never able to beat the Golden State Warriors in the finals. Nonetheless, just like Thompson’s recent trash talk, James responding to heckling fans while getting blown out was a pretty memorable moment.
What matters more individual performance or number of rings?
The debate surrounding the value of NBA championship rings versus individual performances has long been going on. Some fans and analysts argue that LeBron James is the greatest player of all time due to his combination of individual stats and team success.
James currently has four titles and 10 finals appearances and is set to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer this season, among other accolades. However, there’s still a large percentage of fans who think James can never become the GOAT unless he ties or passes Michael Jordan’s six titles.
In the 2017 and 2018 finals, LeBron James’ Cavaliers were completely outmatched against the Warriors’ super teams with Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant. However, James still performed at an elite level.
Over nine games he averaged 33.8 points, 10.4 rebounds, 10.0 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1 block on 54.8% shooting. However, many fans still discredit him over not winning the title in either season, even though there was literally nothing more he could do.
It's also worth noting that there are even some role players like Robert Horry with more titles (seven) than LeBron James and Michael Jordan. The all-time leader in titles, NBA legend Bill Russell (11), also played in a different era with fewer teams. This makes it impossible to compare him to today’s players.
So, while championship rings are important, there’s a decent argument that individual performance matters just as much. No great player can win a title alone.
But this still won’t stop Shaquille O’Neal from flaunting his rings at Charles Barkley, who never won a title.