Isiah Thomas says LeBron James current struggles are only normal – NBA Update
LeBron James is the talk of the town these days, although not for the right reasons. After his offensive meltdown in the NBA Finals against Dallas Mavericks, the Miami Heat forward has faced widespread criticism from most observers.
In the midst of all the vilifications though, there have been some helping words as well.
The latest legend who has gone against the tide to support James is none other than Isiah Thomas.
Basketball Hall of Famer Thomas has come out in support of LeBron James and said that the struggles LeBron is having to go through at present are just normal, it is what most great stars in the NBA have to face in their careers.
LeBron James has come under a lot of fire because of his poor showing in the NBA Finals. Add to it the fact that LeBron was already off most people’s Christmas list, thanks to “the Decision” and it just heaps more misery on the
superstar forward.
Thomas however says the Miami Heat man should not give in to despair and that the wider NBA audience should look back at history before passing judgement on LeBron James. Thomas gave the example of Magic Johnson, a Lakers legend
and one of the most beloved athletes to ever grace an NBA court. Still, there was a time when things were different,
“When you look back over history, history has a way of really telling the truth and sometimes in the present we tend to forget what happened historically. When I first got into the league I remember watching Magic Johnson dribble
out the shot clock in Boston and being called Tragic Johnson. Do you remember how he was one of the most vilified and disliked people because he fired the coach”
Magic Johnson went on to win three NBA World Championships playing alongside the other basketball great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and having a storied rivalry with the Larry Bird led Boston Celtics.
Isiah Thomas went on to quote an example of arguably the greatest and most loved star of the NBA to date, Michael Jordan,
“Even Jordan, he had his ups and downs and his battles with the media, the press, and everything else. He had his ups and down in the league. LeBron isn’t going through anything different than most superstars have gone through
in this league.”
Isiah Thomas of course was one of the main reasons for Jordan’s early career struggles. Thomas and the Detroit Pistons were termed a “roadblock” in Jordan’s ascendancy to greatness as they time and again foiled Michael’s bid to
reach the NBA Finals.
However, Michael Jordan persevered and found a way to go past the Hall of Famer and the rest - as they say - is history.
LeBron James might not have covered himself in glory during this year’s NBA Finals but the King is still 26 years old and has plenty of time to readdress that fact.
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