LeBron James made headlines earlier this week for sharing his two cents on the ‘ring culture’ in the NBA. The four-time NBA champion slammed the narrative, saying the ring was a collective effort.
Speaking on his ‘Mind the Game’ podcast with co-host Steve Nash, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar, who won four titles throughout his 22-year career, had a lengthy take on the subject. However, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith questioned James’ arguments.
Stephen A. Smith Tears into LeBron James for Viral Comments on Ring Culture
Speaking on ESPN’s “First Take,” Stephen A. Smith and league insider Brian Windhorst weighed in on James’ ring culture comments. The duo agreed that the very concept was started by the veteran forward when he left the Cleveland Cavaliers in a controversial move to join Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to form a “Big 3” with the Miami Heat.
“If it didn’t mean much or shouldn’t mean much, why were you so relieved to finally have one?” Smith argued. “Why did you depart Cleveland to join forces with Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade to get one?
“If [winning a championship] didn’t mean much or shouldn’t mean much … Why were you so relieved to finally have one? Why did you depart Cleveland to go to Miami?”@stephenasmith says LeBron not understanding why ring culture is discussed in the NBA is “nonsense” 😯 pic.twitter.com/PwRvTxgtjw
— First Take (@FirstTake) June 18, 2025
This was seconded by Windhorst. “LeBron has contributed to this by himself, comparing himself to Michael Jordan,” he said. “He’s contributed to this by getting up there with the Heat, saying, not five, not six, not seven, even if that was just a one moment slip … That’s the way he’s approached it. He’s gone from team to team seeking championships.”
James moved to the Heat and won two championships in 2012 and 2013. He later returned to the Cavaliers to win his first title with his home team after a hard-fought and memorable series against the Golden State Warriors in 2016. He won his fourth with the Lakers in 2020.
The latest from Smith comes after his skirmish with James earlier this season. In March, James approached the ESPN analyst, and the two discussed the analyst’s negative comments about his son, Bronny James, where Smith stated that the young guard was in the NBA because of his father. This didn’t sit well with the 40-year-old, who made his displeasure clear.
His recent comments after Lebron’s take will continue to garner steam in the days to come, and it is safe to say that both Smith and the NBA superstar’s comments have already been doing the rounds on social media, with fans sharing their opinion on the same.