17-Year Vet Slams ‘Ring-Chasing’ Criticism Against LeBron James While Aaron Donald’s Return to Rams Gets a Pass

Despite being 41 years old, LeBron James joining the Philadelphia 76ers was heavily criticized as 'ring chasing.'

LeBron James and Aaron Donald (Image via Bronupdates/The Athletic/X)

When LeBron James decided to join the Philadelphia 76ers, most of his critics were out to condemn his choice, arguing that he was ‘cheating’ his way to another title, or as others would put it, ring-chasing.

Their argument was that had the 41-year-old joined the Cleveland Cavaliers or the Miami Heat, it would not have been this obvious that he wanted to travel on the easiest path to his fifth championship.

After the Sixers traded for Jaylen Brown, on paper, they were the best starting five in the league by a comfortable margin. That, along with James’ pay cut enabling the team to sign other impactful players, led his critics to argue that he was joining a superteam.

However, a superteam argument only holds true when the said unit has been to conference championships or has been a consistently serious threat every year. That led former NBA star Eddie A Johnson to write this on X.

Is this considered Ring Chasing or it only applies to certain players who play basketball?
Eddie A Johnson wrote

The 17-year veteran pointed out how those naysayers are quiet when it comes to Aaron Donald coming out of retirement to join the Los Angeles Rams. At the same time, they were out in full force to flame a 41-year-old LeBron James, nearing the end of his career, for joining the 76ers.

Is this considered Ring Chasing or it only applies to certain players who play basketball? https://t.co/ub8EvYsi3f
— Eddie A Johnson (@Jumpshot8) August 30, 2026

His target was those in the media who also talk about the NFL. Johnson believes that ‘The King’ has been receiving criticism no matter what he does, but others, particularly those in other sports, do not get anywhere near the same treatment as the four-time champion.

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Is Aaron Donald returning to the Rams similar to LeBron James joining the 76ers?

Eddie A Johnson might have a valid point that LeBron James, and basketball players in general, receive more criticism from the same media that also covers the NFL and other sports.

Donald joins the NFL's reigning DPOY & MVP — Donald joins the NFL’s reigning DPOY & MVP (Image via Ari Meirov/Rams/X)

But to bring his opinion into context, Aaron Donald returning to the Los Angeles Rams is a better example of ring-chasing than what James is trying to do. For starters, the Rams were a touchdown away from reaching Super Bowl LX.

Had they reached the big game at Levi’s Stadium, they might have easily outperformed the New England Patriots, who produced one of the worst games of their otherwise superlative season.

This season, the Rams have doubled down on their interest in winning it all. They have the reigning league MVP in Matthew Stafford, who has a stout offensive line and some of the best wideouts at his disposal. Then, they traded for the league’s Defensive Player of the Year and sacks record holder, Myles Garrett.

The latter’s arrival, along with the Rams trading for Trent McDuffie, arguably one of the best defensive backs in the league, is what prompted Aaron Donald to come out of retirement.

In contrast, LeBron James is joining a team that was swept in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Leading superstar Joel Embiid has not played in as many games as he has missed, and there are serious concerns over how the team will handle the ball with Jaylen Brown.

The Sixers have not reached the Conference Finals since the 2019 season and are banking on the hope that the oldest player in the league will help negate any games Embiid misses. Therefore, the Rams’ and Sixers’ scenarios are vastly different, yet have the same outlook if all pans out well.

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Rams troll Miami Heat over LeBron James gaffe

Before Eddie A Johnson linked LeBron James to the Aaron Donald return, it seems the Los Angeles Rams were already aware that such comparisons are highly plausible. Therefore, their media team decided to make light of their situation, even mocking an NBA franchise while doing so.

Anybody know how to set up a YouTube live stream without it going public? Need to test for something.
LA Rams wrote on X

Anybody know how to set up a YouTube live stream without it going public? Need to test for something.
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) August 30, 2026

This was a direct shot at the Miami Heat, whose media team inadvertently set up a future YouTube live stream for a possible press conference introducing James once he signs. It fired back after the superstar signed with the 76ers, and the Florida-based NBA franchise had to face the embarrassment.

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#About the Author

Joseph Varghese

(5399 Articles Published)

Joseph is a Senior Writer with FirstSportz and covers the NBA as well as the NFL. Sports came to him naturally from a young age. While playing high school basketball, he was enamored by Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant's all-dominating Lakers, who still happen to be his favorite team. He had a fleeting interest in American football during the Greatest Show on Turf era. That interest then grew exponentially when he saw Richard Sherman and the Legion of Boom romp their way to a Super Bowl. All that time, he was either trying to graduate with a degree in Commerce from St. Xavier's University, Kolkata, or working with HDFC Bank and HSBC. Then his long-standing passion for automobiles saw him launch East India's first auto-detailing service. His keen eye for quality and creativity has carried over to his forays as a writer, where he combines it with his three-decade experience as a sports fan to help him place words together.

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