LeBron James remains the No. 1 headline in the NBA. James, even at 41 years of age, demands nearly everyone’s attention, in and around the league, at all times. Throughout his historic career, his name has become synonymous with the sport of basketball.
And by now, the world knows James, after lengthy deliberation, chose to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers. He’s officially with the team on a two-year $7.9 million deal. He’ll join a formidable starting-lineup of Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, and VJ Edgecombe.
Virtually everyone that’s every been associated with the game of basketball has had, and expressed their opinion on “King James” and this next phase of his career. But that hasn’t stopped some from recapping and reliving his achievements from his storied, soon to be 24-year-career.
Former NBA Player Drops Wild LeBron James Opinion
The latest to throw their hat in the, “let me tell you what I think of (LeBron) James”, is Olden Polynice. Polynice played 15 years in the NBA. Originally drafted in the first-round of the 1987 NBA Draft, the Chicago Bulls selected him with the No. 8 overall pick. The seven-foot center stuck around the league for a decade and a half, but never reached his full career potential.
Since his retirement in 2004, he’s turned his focus to sports commentary and motivational speaking. However, earlier this week, he pointed that focus directly at James. Polynice spit out one of the more shocking opinions on the NBA’s all-time leading points scorer you may ever hear.
“I believe LeBron James underachieved,” Polynice said.
Polynice made an appearance on SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) with Eddie Johnson (@JumpShot8) and Justin Termine (@TermineRadio). The former big man made his way all over the map talking about James, but ultimately landed on aspects from “King James'” career where he fell short.
“I thought LeBron should have averaged a triple-double way before Russell Westbrook. That’s my personal opinion because he’s big, strong and everything else. He’s the most talented guy we’ve seen in a long time. But you have Russell Westbrook averaging a triple-double, but LeBron didn’t. So, I can still be critical about things like that,” Polynice said.
Polynice hasn’t completely faded into obscurity in his post-playing career. But this largely feels like a clickbait, attention-grabbing opinion on a large platform. Even Polynice himself prefaced how “weird” his statement was going to be before shouting it from the rooftops.
“This is going to be the weirdest thing I’ve ever uttered. I believe LeBron underachieved,” Polynice said.
Polynice Pays James Compliment During Criticism
The former center spent time with five different teams in his career, never actually suiting up for the team that drafted him. He never played for any of the franchises James did and only overlapped with James for one season (2003-04). But Polynice still found a space in his shocking diatribe to pay James a few quick compliments.
“I love LeBron. I really do. I think he’s one of the greatest ever. Ever. What he’s doing right now, we’ve never seen before. And I won’t even get into the off the court. He’s by himself over there,” Polynice said.
Polynice tried to shape his opinion behind subjective, personal opinion, but it’s still extremely hard to take seriously. Every time James steps on an NBA court, he extends multiple all-time records. This season, No. 24, will remain the most anyone has ever played in an NBA career. And, he’ll only be extending his lead on the all-time points scored list (43,440).
Former NBA 1st Round Draft Pick Makes Shocking LeBron James Statement