Walt Frazier is an NBA Hall of Famer that helped the Knicks win their only two NBA titles, so that affords him some leeway when it comes to criticizing current players. However, I think he may be a bit off base with his assessment of LeBron during today’s Lakers-Knicks matchup.
During a game break, LeBron was shown sitting at the end of the Lakers bench with some distance between his teammates that were getting ready to re-enter the game. LeBron didn’t appear to scowl or look frustrated and can even be seen talking and laughing with Tyson Chandler as the camera panned across the bench. However, the optics of LeBron sitting alone towards the end of the bench triggered a response from Frazier, and he laid some harsh criticism on LeBron that framed him as not being a team player mainly because of how it looked.
It’s fine to criticize LeBron James for playing poor defense or trying to trade his teammates for Anthony Davis, but devolving into reading body language and claiming “he doesn’t care” because he sat at the end of the bench is a bit of a stretch. Criticizing LeBron when he deserves it is necessary, but let’s try to base the critiques on evidence and not speculation.
Flip the page for the video of Walt Frazier criticizing LeBron and you decide if it was warranted.
