LeBron James is no stranger to criticism as the Los Angeles Laker superstar seemingly can not win no matter what he does both on and off the court.
The outside noise could affect James’ performance earlier in his career, but he has outgrown that behavior and is now comfortable in his own skin. However, Kevin Durant has been caught in his fair share of situations as he normally will respond to people online and engage in debates normally reserved for fans.
During Durant’s time with the Golden State Warriors, he received backlash for creating an NBA super team, and to this day, fans will try to discredit the two championships he won there. In an appearance on the “Dan Le Batard Show,” author Matt Sullivan details an exchange between Warriors head coach Steve Kerr and Durant as transcribed by Evan Orris of New York Post:
“You know what I respect about LeBron?” Kerr asked Durant, as Sullivan explained on Dan Le Batard’s podcast. “I respect the fact that when he got to Miami and he got sick of the narratives, sick of the hatters, all the talk. You know what he did? LeBron just said f—k it and was great. Same with Michael, same with Kobe. Same with all the greats.
“They all had to say f—k it and then they were all on that next level. So you know what you gotta do? You just gotta say ‘f—k it’ like LeBron did.”
James certainly has not allowed the media or fans to affect him in any way after going to the Miami Heat and winning two championships of his own there, but apparently, Durant was fixated on his phone and reading what was being read about him. Athletes — especially stars like Durant — will also be heavily scrutinized, and learning how to tune negative comments out is pivotal in today’s NBA.
People like Scottie Pippen believe that Durant has yet to surpass James, but it can be said with certainty that the Lakers star does a lot better when it comes to filtering out haters and naysayers.
Magic Johnson believes LeBron James has two high-level years remaining
Speaking of outside voices, Magic Johnson has been giving his thoughts on the Lakers and the roster during their offseason. Johnson is largely credited for luring James to Los Angeles, but the Lakers icon believes the superstar only has two high-level years of basketball left.
