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11-Year NBA Veteran Slams 'Horrible' LeBron James Narrative

This former NBA star and Memphis Grizzlies guard slammed a popular narrative about Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James

Joey Linn

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) reacts during the first quarter against the Denver Nuggets in game one of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Ball Arena.
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) reacts during the first quarter against the Denver Nuggets in game one of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Ball Arena. / Andrew Wevers-USA TODAY Sports
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Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. Breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record, James stands alone atop the NBA’s all-time scoring list.

While James’ longevity is unmatched, so is his consistency. Entering his 22nd NBA season, James has averaged at least 20 points per game each year of his career. Outside of his rookie season, James has averaged at least 25 points per game each year of his career.

Because of his longevity, some argue that James is not a true scorer, but rather an all-around player who accumulated the most points in NBA history due to his unparalleled longevity.

Slamming this narrative during a recent appearance on Dwight Howard’s Above The Rim podcast, 11-year NBA veteran and former Memphis Grizzlies guard Gilbert Arenas shared his thoughts.

“It’s the worst thing that a [Michael] Jordan fan can say,” Arenas said. “You know why? Because you’re saying he is not a real scorer, he is not a natural scorer. But he has the most points… That is a horrible narrative that you wanna run.”

Arenas argued that because Jordan made scoring look so good, people believe he is better than James in that category. Because Jordan was brought up by Arenas, it is worth mentioning that the Chicago Bulls legend is still the NBA’s all-time leading in points per game (30.1) and has 10 scoring titles.

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Joey Linn
JOEY LINN

Title: Credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation Email: joeylinn52@gmail.com Education: Communication Studies degree from Biola University Location: Los Angeles, California Expertise: NBA analysis and reporting Experience: Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined Sports Illustrated's FanNation to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams during his time in school. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts, combined with his excellence in the classroom, earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time across multiple platforms, primarily serving as a credentialed Clippers beat writer.

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