“Never seen Jordan or Kobe shoot airball at free throw…” Stephon Marbury gets real about being called LeBron James ‘hater’

LeBron James came under fire from Stephon Marbury after free throw comparison with Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.

“Never seen Jordan or Kobe shoot airball at free throw…” Stephon Marbury gets real about being called LeBron James ‘hater’

Lebron James came under fire after free throw comparison with Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant

Former NBA star Stephon Marbury hasn’t shied away from expressing his critical views on LeBron James. In his latest appearance on Whistle’s New York Minute micro-podcast, Marbury revisited his long-standing critique of the Los Angeles Lakers superstar.

This time, he questioned James’ free-throw shooting and his place in the GOAT conversation, comparing him to Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. The discussion emerged from Marbury’s long-standing skepticism about LeBron James being in the same league as Jordan. Marbury cited a specific instance of James airballing a free throw and suggested it showed a lack of composure not seen in Jordan or Bryant.

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They think I’m a LeBron James hater… They get mad because I don’t agree that I don’t think he’s better than Jordan. I played against all three of them. I’ve never seen Jordan or Kobe shoot an airball at the free throw line… As far as a basketball player, come on, man, he shouldn’t even be mentioned in the same breath as Michael Jordan.

Stephon Marbury remarked

Free throws have been a statistical blemish on LeBron James’ illustrious career. While his overall contributions on the court are undeniable, James has a career free-throw percentage of 73.6%, with five seasons dipping below 70%.

In comparison, Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan maintained averages of 83.7% and 83.5%, respectively, with multiple elite free throw shooting seasons. Marbury’s critique appears rooted in these numbers, coupled with the instances of LeBron James airballing routine free throws.

Of course, Marbury’s issues with James extend beyond his shooting. The former All-Star also claimed Stephen Curry, not James, should have won MVP at the 2024 Paris Olympics, a sentiment that many echoed.

Stephon Marbury backs up Bronny and LeBron James

Interestingly, even though Stephon Marbury has notably been highly critical of LeBron James, his criticisms don’t seem to extend to James’ role as a father. He expressed strong support for James’ commitment to his son, Bronny James, and his basketball journey.

Bronny has something that none of the people that are playing basketball has. He has his father and the ultimate staff or people that can constantly teach him and make sure he stays up to par if he really wants to do that. If he loves the game, it’s gonna show.

Stephon Marbury explained

According to Marbury, Bronny has the athleticism, intelligence, and guidance to excel at the professional level. James’ support system, the same one that propelled his legendary career, is now being leveraged to give Bronny every advantage. which seems like a fair trade-off to the former 2x NBA All-Star.

Of course, that hasn’t stopped critics from picking apart Bronny James even after his recent return to the G-League this week. ESPN’s Stephen A Smith has been among the many who have been heavily critical of the 20-year-old, recently calling out the young star to ‘earn his stripes.’ Somehow, with all the criticism he has levied on LeBron James, Marbury has the Lakers star’s back when it comes to family.