The agenda that LeBron James is ring chasing is being argued against by a retired NBA champion.
Opinions are swirling about LeBron James' decision to head to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Many feel like his choice was driven by a chance at getting another ring. Throughout James’ career, he has always faced criticism for not doing enough to help his team win the big one. Now after bringing a championship to every team he’s been on, he once again has to deal with the outcry that he’s doing the most in trying to win another ring.
Five-time NBA Champion Derek Fisher appeared on The Fan and explained that it can’t be ring chasing when championships follow you everywhere you go.
“It’s not ring chasing when you’re the guy that creates the ring," Fisher emphasized. "When you look at the history of all the greats, it’s where they are that the rings go. It’s not the other way around. It’s not like a ring is sitting in Philadelphia, and he’s going to chase it. His addition will increase the chances of them getting it.”
It’s not hard to see that wherever Lebron goes, immediate success follows. Furthermore, let's define ring chasing. When someone is chasing something, it is in an effort to get something that they’ve never had. If you really want to look at ring chasing, look no further than Kevin Durant. Durant had his LeBron moment and made the decision to go to Golden State and join a team that had already won two championships while taking out his Oklahoma City Thunder team in a 3-1 series comeback.
So if we say Durant was ring chasing, how is this even remotely similar? Just because he made a decision to join the Miami Heat in 2010? That fact has no bearing on the argument that this current decision is equal. The man already has four rings and has scored the most points in NBA history. What more does he have to prove? It’s not about chasing rings; it’s more about chasing a legacy and solidifying the point that he should be widely considered the greatest player of all-time.
If he can join a team and they automatically get put in championship consideration, how could he possibly be ring chasing? If anything, this speaks to Fisher’s point that everywhere he goes, championships follow. When you can come back from a 3-1 deficit against quite possibly the greatest team in the 73-9 Warriors with the team that drafted you, it has nothing to do with chasing a ring and everything to do with the legacy he leaves behind.
We already hear the comments of how he can't compare to Michael Jordan, but his career is still something many should marvel at for years to come.
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J'Mar Smith is a contributing writer to 76ersRoundtable. He can be reached at [email protected].
