Jordan and James both believe that the championship theory is not important in the goat debate, but James is criticized

LeBron James recently spoke freely on his podcast program, attracting a lot of attention. Although some of his remarks have received support from many fans, media or NBA players, some of his remarks have also been criticized by the outside world. Recently, LeBron James said on a podcast that using NBA championships for a long time to measure a player's historical status is a harmful effect on the sport of basketball.

LeBron James believes we cannot always try to use the number of championships a player wins as the only measure of the greatest player in history. LeBron James also said that there are still many great players who have not won the championship in their careers, but it does not affect their greatness, and we should not ignore this.

When LeBron James was asked about the origins of the current ring culture in the NBA, he said, "I don't know the answer, I wish I had this answer, but I'm not sure. Man, it's so interesting. Yes, I don't know. I don't know why it's discussed so much in our sport, why it's the ultimate goal of everything."

The ultimate goal of most basketball players is to get into the NBA, then go to the NBA Finals and win the NBA championship. However, there are also some players' goal not to win the NBA championship, they are more to change their lives or simply treat them as jobs.

For example, Jokic of the Denver Nuggets, the purpose of his first entry into the NBA was to accompany his girlfriend and not wanting to have a long-distance relationship, so he went to the United States to play in the NBA. As a result, he won the NBA championship. However, his hobby is not basketball, but horse racing. Playing in the NBA is just a job for him.

How to define a player's greatness, the championship is definitely one of the standard factors to measure. However, it is more about a player's influence and role in the field of basketball. For example, Iverson, although he did not win the championship, his stubborn and unyielding style brought a brand new hip-hop and streetball style to the NBA.

LeBron James said "When you say 'Hey, he didn't win a ring,' you automatically give up people and their careers. Like, do you really sit down and look at this guy's career and see what he has achieved? Jerry West played in the NBA Finals nine times in a row, but he only won once, he is the symbol of our league. You can't sit here and tell me, 'Well, because he only won one, he can't be in the same room with people who won two, three or four.'"

Indeed, even if Jerry West had only one championship in his career, many stars could not take his place even if they had more championship rings than him. He is the logo logo of the league. NBA history has also discussed replacing the LOGO, but basically everyone believes that no one can replace Jerry West, Michael Jordan cannot do it, and LeBron James cannot do it.

LeBron James' remarks have been criticized by many fans and media, believing that LeBron James is making excuses for his defeat in the finals of 10 and winning the championship for only four times. He is more to downplay the influence of the championship on the improvement of his historical status. But let’s not forget that Michael Jordan also said similar things, and two people should not be treated with double standards.

Michael Jordan was asked about the impact of the championship on the player's historical status, Michael Jordan said, "I won 6 championships and Bill Russell won 11 championships. Is this Bill Russell better than me? Or am I better than him? No, because we play in different eras."

Michael Jordan did not think that he surpassed his predecessors by winning six championships. He believed that each other played in different eras and should not discuss who is greater and better. Every era has its own great stars. LeBron James was criticized by media such as Stephen Smith for this remark. Since winning the 2019-20 season, many fans and media believe that as long as LeBron James wins the NBA championship again, he will completely surpass Michael Jordan and become the true best in history.