LeBron James has been in a league of his own throughout his NBA career.
So it wasn’t surprising that he pounced on an ESPN analyst’s suggestion Thursday that he was a star sidekick ― like Scottie Pippen was to Michael Jordan ― when James won two titles with Miami.
ESPN’s Jay Williams made the dubious claim in response to a tweet from former NBA player Richard Jefferson, who said that Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo might be a “Pippen” who required a “Jordan” as a teammate.
“So LeBron was a Pippen with [Dwyane] Wade once,” Williams replied. “Nothing wrong with that until you get over the hump.”
James, who won the league and Finals MVP awards in the 2012 and 2013 championship seasons alongside Wade, took umbrage.
“Explain to me what the fux I gotta do with this subject matter!” he tweeted at Williams. “I’m over here minding my damn business preparing for Houston. And by the way I ain’t never been nobody but my damn self! 👑 Shit!”
Put on the defensive by the Los Angeles Lakers superstar, Williams attempted to clarify his words.
James and the Lakers play the Houston Rockets in the first game of the Western Conference semifinals on Friday in the NBA bubble near Orlando, Florida.
Pippen, a Hall of Famer who won six titles with Jordan in Chicago, chimed in, but focused on Jefferson’s original comment.