LeBron James has dominated basketball for over two decades. That doesn’t mean he hasn’t had haters. In fact, the number of critics seems to be growing, even though he nears the end of his career.
The situation is currently more complicated. Despite being the king of the Lakers, he can’t seem to win over every corner of the organization. Whether it’s team decisions or his political activism, it’s clear that he is going through one of the most sobering reality-check periods of his career.
Still, those who’ve watched his career unfold can’t hate him that easily. Former NBA coach and longtime analyst Stan Van Gundy is one of the people who recently called out the negativity surrounding James during a podcast moment.
LeBron James Gets Strong Support as Stan Van Gundy Blasts Critics
James has faced criticism for years, but the noise has grown louder after the Los Angeles Lakers’ early playoff exit in the 2024-25 season. Most recently, many have raised questions about his decision to opt into his $52.6 million player option with the Lakers.
Plus, the situation within the team right now isn’t entirely in favor of him and his agent, Rich Paul. Some reports suggest that the Lakers are now fully focused on building the team around Luka Dončić. Some even believe the Cleveland Cavaliers may explore a trade to bring him back, as tensions inside the Lakers’ front office reportedly rise.
Altogether, his decision to stay with the Lakers for another season is making all the noise, and Van Gundy has had enough of the criticism. During a recent appearance on the Nothing Personal with David Samson podcast, he passionately defended the all-time leading scorer, calling the hate both irrational and undeserved.
“The most amazing thing to me is, this guy has been a national figure since he’s been in eighth grade, what’s the biggest off-court controversy you’ve got on this guy? This guy has done nothing except represent the game of basketball and the league well. And yet, there’s this hate for him,” Van Gundy said.
He believes much of the negativity stems from the comparison to Michael Jordan. “I have never understood the negativity around him. I think a lot of it was there’s so many people out there who just revered Michael Jordan and the fact that people would question, ‘Is LeBron as good?’ led to a hatred of LeBron instead of an appreciation of what he’s done. And I think that’s unfortunate.”
On the court, James averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game last season. No one can question his production. Off the court, he has also maintained a remarkably clean image. So, the wave of recent negativity toward him simply doesn’t sit right with Van Gundy.
“LeBron’s gotten a little bit of hate for a long time for a lot of different things.”
Stan Van Gundy doesn’t believe LeBron opting into his $52.6 million player option was “selfish” at all. pic.twitter.com/87WKgL531m
— Nothing Personal with David Samson (@NPDSclips) July 2, 2025
His core argument is that James’ decision to opt into his $52.6 million player option is not selfish. He believes the four-time NBA champion has earned the right to prioritize how he wants to finish his career. After all, Bronny James is now at the Lakers. So he’s staying loyal to the franchise while chasing one more championship run.