Stephen Jackson has warned Shannon Sharpe from becoming close friends with LeBron James because LeBron won't reciprocate love like Shannon.
LeBron James has very vocal detractors and very vocal supporters in the media. James has always been a divisive figure in the sports world, so it was natural for media members to have oscillating viewpoints on how they perceive the star.
One of the biggest fans of James in the media is Shannon Sharpe, who recently got into an argument with the Memphis Grizzlies during their game against the Lakers at Crypto.com Arena. That incident made everyone see Sharpe as open as a LeBron supporter can get.
Stephen Jackson has told Shannon to hold back on his relationship with LeBron, as the 4-time champion will never reciprocate the same kind of love.
“LeBron ain’t gonna run up and fight nobody for you. Keep that in mind, Bron ain't gonna run up and fight for you... Uncle Shay Shay. LeBron is not going to fight for you. I know you love him, [but] it’s not going to be reciprocated.”
The scuffle in the game was because Grizzlies players started talking to Shannon, completely unrelated to LeBron. He didn't even participate remotely in the argument, so it's really a stretch for Jackson to equate that situation in this analogy. Shannon wasn't fighting for LeBron, he was doing it for himself.
Do These Comments Have Any Merit?
Sharpe has already clarified his position on the situation and LeBron showed love to him after the game while discussing the incident. Jackson is just extrapolating the strong relationship between the two to make a generalization about how Shannon went to fight for LeBron. That hasn't even been hinted at by either side, as it was just an argument between the NFL Hall of Famer and the Grizzlies, primarily Dillon Brooks.
James just became the 4th all-time leader in assists and closed out a great OT win against the New York Knicks, so he won't be worried about comments like this. However, it is confusing to see Jackson come at Sharpe for his loyalty to LBJ like this, especially almost a week after the incident.
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