Ex-Player Claims LeBron James Underachieved Due to Russell Westbrook’s Triple-Double Angers Fans – “Nothing Worse Than An Old Hater”

The media have made it a habit of talking negative about LeBron James as it draws the most viewers ad ratings.

Ex-Player Claims LeBron James Underachieved Due to Russell Westbrook’s Triple-Double Angers Fans – “Nothing Worse Than An Old Hater”

Olden Polynice and LeBron James (Image via Basket Fantra/X)

There were times when fans felt that the legacy media was overtly critical of current-generation basketball players. Then, when former players started taking to a microphone, there was belief that hopefully the tide would turn and the likes of LeBron James could start to breathe.

The now Philadelphia 76ers superstar is the most criticized athlete in the world, with most of it coming from either fans of Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant. Comparisons have become a daily debate, and most of the time it is against him.

The King himself has flamed legacy media on several occasions and even started his own podcast and media production company to counter the narratives being thrown out regularly.

There are some podcasts run by former players who do side with James and do their bit to counter claims from those criticizing the four-time champion. But still, there are those who cannot stop themselves from talking about him.

I thought LeBron should have averaged a triple-double way before Russell Westbrook… Because he’s big, strong, and everything else. He’s the most talented guy that we’ve seen in a long time. Yet Russell Westbrook averaged a triple-double, and LeBron didn’t… I believe that LeBron James underachieved.

Olden Polynice said on SiriusXM NBA Radio

This was not Olden Polynice‘s first rodeo criticizing LeBron James. Here, he claims that with his talent, James should have registered a triple-double season before Russell Westbrook, and that is a knock on his legacy.

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Fans flame Olden Polynice for unnecessarily criticizing LeBron James

When fans came to know about this criticism, they reminded themselves that Olden Polynice is a regular on Byron Scott‘s podcast. The two are often hand in hand while criticizing LeBron James.

In this instance, fans felt that the former center was proving that ex-players are extremely jealous and will go to any lengths to find something to undermine the league’s all-time leading scorer. They took to social media to call out Polynice for his obvious attempts to do so, examples of which are below.

There is no doubt that as long as LeBron James continues to play, these criticisms will follow. Even his agent has acknowledged how speaking ill about the forward helps podcasters and the media draw viewers, making it profitable.

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LeBron James cannot make up for lost earnings after signing $4 million deal with 76ers

Apart from the criticism, LeBron James faces fans who also want to know what he does off the court. Since he is a billionaire, there have been discussions on whether teams pay him a share of their marketing revenue. Draymond Green has the insight.

VJ Edgecombe & LeBron James earn the same from jersey sales
VJ Edgecombe & LeBron James earn the same from jersey sales (Image via ESPN)

We all get a licensing check. LeBron James, Steph Curry, Kawhi Leonard, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokić, they all get the same jersey sales… A second-year guy who didn’t play much on a team, and the license check was 500 grand. That’s jersey sales, that’s all of the licensing things. That same 500 grand that that second-year guy gets, Steph Curry gets… It’s even split.

Draymond Green said on his naesake show

The Golden State Warriors made it clear that no matter how big a superstar is on a team, they get the same marketing payout as a second-year teammate. That is how the current CBA is detailed. Therefore, LeBron James will not be able to recoup the millions he lost when taking a massive pay cut for the Philadelphia 76ers.

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