Why Is LeBron James Hated by So Many NBA Fans?

There is no doubt that LeBron James will one day be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. He will be considered one of the all-time greats to ever play the game. Many believe he is already the GOAT, the greatest of all-time.

But, there is a large contingent of NBA fans that will have none of it. They have a downright hate for James. Why is the NBA’s all-time career scoring leader hated so much? Why is he considered one of the most hated athletes of all time?

Well, it’s actually a pretty long list as to why.

NBA Finals Record

One of the marks of a GOAT in any sport is the number of championships won. Look at Tom Brady in the NFL – seven Super Bowl championships. Novak Djokovic has won 24 Grand Slam tennis tournaments. Nick Saban has seven CFB national championships, with a record of 7-3 in title games.

The big debate in basketball for GOAT status is among James, Michael Jordan, and Kobe Bryant. The debate will likely go on until the end of time, but one thing is clear. Jordan went 6-0 in the NBA Finals and Kobe was 5-2. James is just 3-4 and last appeared in the Finals in 2020, the COVID season.

When it comes to winning, James just hasn’t done it like other greats in the game. Even former Spurs great Tim Duncan was 5-1 in six NBA Finals appearances.

The Decision

After the 2009-10 season, James was tired of losing in Cleveland. He very selfishly put on a big show and tore out the heart of the city of Cleveland. James jumped ship to Miami to become part of the Heat’s Big Three – James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh. James did win two NBA titles in Miami, but lost in the Finals in his last season in South Beach. James lost to Duncan and the Spurs.

The decision to leave Cleveland left many Cavs’ fans with an unfavorable opinion of James. Those were fans that were supposed to like him. Fans around the league saw the move as totally related to the one thing that most really hate about LeBron…

His Ego

How many of you have a “Chosen 1” tattoo on your back? Sure, professional athletes have some sort of ego. It’s kind of natural, but in James’ case, he takes it too far. At one of his own camps, James got dunked on by Jordan Crawford. He asked all of the Nike representatives present to confiscate and destroy any recordings of the event.

Even the nickname “King James” turns many people off. There are times where James has referred to himself in the third person while doing interviews with the media. Yes, he’s a great player, but those types of things just turn people off.

Cry Baby Soup

James has chowed on many bowls of cry baby soup in his career. There was the 2014 NBA Finals. In Game 1, James had to be carried off the floor due to cramps. He was writhing in pain, which, yes, cramping can be painful.

Just for reference, Kobe Bryant tore an Achilles tendon during an NBA game on a play in which he was fouled. After the injury, Bryant hobbled to the free throw line where he calmly sank both shots and helped his Lakers qualify for the playoffs.

After four seasons in Miami, it was rumored that James wanted Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra fired. General Manager Pat Riley told James that wasn’t going to happen. What did James do? He packed up and left to go back to Cleveland. James made one more move and left for the Lakers in 2018. Spoelstra is still the Heat’s head coach and has been back to the NBA Finals twice.

The Flopper

At 6-8 and around 250 pounds, James is an imposing figure. He has tremendous athletic ability, which he has honed over the years. James is a big, strong professional athlete. That’s why many NBA fans are fed up with the number of times James flops during games.

He has been known to lay on the floor after collisions that weren’t really collisions. He’ll draw fouls with his ability to make a love tap look like he was taken out by the second coming of Kurt Rambis, Bill Laimbeer or Kevin McHale. If you’re too young to know those three, look them up on YouTube and see what a real foul looks like.

Too many flops, too much cry baby soup, not enough wins, and an attitude that seems to revolve around “me, me, me” will continue to rub NBA fans the wrong way.