There was a bunch of people spamming stuff like “Why can’t you call LeBron? Because his phone doesn’t have a ring.” back in those days

It was bad after the 2011 finals . People actually believed he was cursed or something. That’s why that game 6 vs Boston in 2012 is the most high pressured game he has ever played . If he loses that game I don’t think he wins more than one ring .

I’m not sure what you consider modern but Moses Malone also won 3 mvps before his first chip and like LeBron won his third the same year he won his ring

Unlimited lebron is a choker jokes “I gave LeBron a dollar for change and he only gave me three quarters”. As a teen at the time was soooo popular to hate especially post 2011 finals. I was def part of it but now view him as my goat bc of his longevity

I could never hate Lebron for leaving that sorry ass franchise, I don’t blame the guy at all

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After he left Cleveland and up until his second stint with them a lot of people hated him. Like, you see the KD threads right now? Nothing in comparison to the amount of hate he got for going to Miami. In fact I think during their finals against OKC the only other state that had fans wanting Miami to win outside of FL was Washington(for obvious reasons).

He was seen as not being able to get over the hump and criticized A LOT for not having rings, and a lot of it stemmed from Stephen A. and Skip. Those two have literally made careers out of talking about him ²⁴⁄₇. A lot of people didn’t like him and said because of Miami he would never be considered an NBA legend. Him doing what he did in 2015 gained a lot of respect back for him, because before that like he was generally not liked by many people at all. How much he put on the court in that loss against GS when he lost Love/Kyrie garnered a lot of respect from people.

And now its more like ⁶⁰⁄₄₀ I see online of people who like him/dislike him or think he’s deserving. Like he has people making a lot of bad takes, like him not being top 10 of all time, etc. Most of them being genx/boomers. And I think that more stems from him not liking Donald Trump than how he played basketball.

Yeah the choke job was rough, but the Mavs won that series. It was kind of like the Knicks this year in that every single player on that team was so dialed in. It was one of those absolutely magical runs.

I just rewatched some of those Heat/Thunder finals, and LeBron was so far and away the best player in that series. If you havent seen peak athletic LeBron, you should check out more of those 2012-2013 era games.

The clowning was unreal. After everyone complained about the whole superteam stuff it was collective vindication when they lost in 2011. That next year was quite literally do-or-die for his legacy

The King without a Ring was the most common phrase used to describe Lebron back then.

In the 2007 playoffs be passed to an open Donyell Marshall for the final shot in a game and Marshall missed. Marshall is a 35% career 3 point shooter and 2 years prior set the then record for most 3s in a game with 12 (it is 14 now. Steph). There were no other shooters on the floor and 4 defenders collapsed on him. The shortest was 6’7” Richard Hamilton on the weakside.  Three games later against the same opponent he had one of the best individual game performances in history according to fans. 

He was euphemistically called a coward for years due to this and it only began to fade in 2012 with the Boston Game 6 dismantling and stopped totally in 2016 after 3-1. 

2010 he was accused of quitting on the team though I think even fans quietly gave him some grace since the alleged Delonte West situation was concurrent. 2011 he got massacred.

Then Wade is said to have told him to embrace his villainy. He wore the black mask until Stern whined, the Heat had one of the best seasons ever complete with rivalry with a fantastic Spurs team and one of thr longest winning streaks ever where LeBron shot 60% for every game over 6 weeks or something equally absurd (with Wade playing almost as well). He got massacred again for being ‘bailed out’ by Ray Allen, ignoring the plays preceding and following where he, forgive the cliché, refused to let his team lose. 

After two championships and losing against a Spurs team I personally consider to have played the most beautiful basketball ever* the narrative became mostly neutral with denigrators focusing on “not 1 not 2” and being 2-3 in the finals. The focus even now being the overall finals record of 4-6 and 2011 and not any other individual finals loss. Even the superteam bit has faded with hindsight of how good the Celtics and Lakers were and the Warriors Juggernaut having 4 healthy hall of famers under 30 plus a finals MVP and former all star on the bench.

*my roommate at the time and still close friend looked at each other during a close game 2 the Heat won and realized the Heat had lost the series. It was majestic. 

Edit: During the 2013 27 game win streak.

James: 29 8 8 2.5 stocks eFG of 68 shot below 55% once in the penultimate game 53%. January 30-Feburary 26. the last five games were over 7 nights 3 on the road.

Wade: Wade. 25 5 6 3.3 stocks. 59eFG. 12 games 50%+. February 21 to March 13.

Those 50 days and especially during the week they were playing disgusting basketball it was not Batman and Robin. It was Superman and Batman.

Add them doing a side mission to end Linsanity the season prior and Nike marketing (that black mask thing was going to become the Iverson sleeve for millennials if Stern kept quiet) plus Miami being Miami. The negative narratives became generally maligned. 

People absolutely hated him after decision (they literally burned his jersey like it was a political protest) and the haters came out in full force when he lost in 2011.

It was BAD if you were a LeBron fan, funnily since the warriors were never in the playoffs back then I actually rooted for him to appreciate greatness

One game that was very telling about the whole discussion about LeBron not having a killer mentality or whatever you wanna call it was the 2012 NBA All-Star, when he was heavily criticized for looking to pass on the final play instead of trying to score himself (Blake I think stole his pass and the West clinched the game from the line). I think it shows both how seriously the All-Star game could be taken back then, especially the close ones, and the general perception of James.

He was a villain!

He was seen as a great player but as such a choker, it makes the takes about Harden seem tame. Regular 4th quarter disappearing act jokes was commonplace. His 2010 series against Boston and chokejob VS Dallas a year later with the context of that entire Heatles saga that year made him not just public enemy number 1, but the butt of every joke lol.

He essentially was treated the way Dirk was after his ‘06 finals and ‘07 first round series Ls but on an even larger scale. Then you got Miami going down 2-3 to Boston in the verge of getting bounced in the ECF in 2012 after that massive L to Dirk and the Mavs the year before… Legit, if Miami loses that game, the Heatles era ends right then and there. It really isn’t an exaggeration to say that Bron was playing for his legacy in Game 6 of the ECF (and frankly that entire run he had that year was legacy defining). It was if he expelled some demons that year in 2012.

It was unlike anything you’ve seen before or after. People genuinely celebrated like their team won in 2011 because they hated Bron so much. Then that summer it got even worse because he was actually enjoying his life. That made Stephen a smith pissed lol.

Then when the season started he refused to shoot jumpers for like the first few months and was just dominating in the paint and the post. At that point we all felt a monster was awaken

People said he didn’t have the killer instinct because in crucial situations he would make the correct play of passing to the wide open guy instead of trying to force a game winner.

Really narrow parameters…

Every player with at least 3 NBA MVPs in their career

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (6) Michael Jordan (5) LeBron James (4) Bill Russell (4) Larry Bird (3) Wilt Chamberlain (3) Magic Johnson (3) Nikola Jokic (3) Moses Malone (3)

Really talented player but lacked that killer instinct. Mentally soft.

Aaron Judge /s

Is LeBron the only modern player to win 3 MVPs before winning a chip?

Moses too (‘79, ‘82, ‘83, then championship in ‘83). (But I don’t know what you mean by “modern”. Many usually take “modern” to mean either post-1976 merger or post-1980 Bird/Magic.)

Since then, the only others who’ve won (at least) 3 MVPs are Bird, Magic, Jordan, and Jokić.

It led to rangzzzzz culture because that was all you could say about him at that point lol

https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/tiw7y/lebron_james_wins_mvp_for_third_time/

Reddit thread after he won that MVP

Edit: I’m pleasantly surprised by how many people pointed out that if anyone had a case for winning it over LeBron (and I don’t think anybody did tbh), it was Chris Paul, not Durant. Just an absolutely ridiculous year from him and I never really understood how Durant got so many 1st place votes that year.

2012 pre-championship was the peak of Lebron hate, and possibly the peak of hate toward any all time great player.

Kobe was still good, so there were lots of Kobe fans still debating he was better.

Celtics were still really good and hated both him and miami, and seemed like they had him on the ropes in the ECF.

Game 6 Lebron might be the most non-finals pressure a player has ever been under and Lebron had one the best games of all time.

Tbh I think he started coasting a little more in the regular season to be in tip top health for the playoffs bc mvps and regular season awards felt worthless without a ring. I think it’s the reason he was able to really turn it up I the playoffs every year in the 2010s.

LeBron received insane amounts of hate and criticism after that 2011 loss. It’s basically what you said “overwhelmingly negative” but even that’s an understatement. People called him a regular season player and jokes like don’t ask LeBron for change for a dollar. He’s only good for 3 quarters

Considering “Modern” is only Bird, Magic MJ, Kareem(?), and him. Magic and Bird had multiple HOF’s starting their first year or two in the league. Kareem had Oscar O starting his rookie year, MJ famously didn’t win until he had another top 75 player ever and even then it took multiple years to win a title AFTER going to college.

LeBron won a title in his second year with other in their prime HOF players. It’s not that crazy

This is peak Skip Bayless btw that you can search on youtube

He was at a disadvantage to win but he was also LeBron so being considerably better than everyone made him win and overcome that 

My view is that the Mavericks were a better team and therefore won. As good as LeBron was he couldn’t over come the Mavericks execution on both sides of the ball. 

Pretty sure the hate was at its peak after Game 5 vs Celtics. Everyone thought the series was over especially since next game was in Boston and I’m sure the media had all the hate articles ready to unleash on him if they lost game 6.

it’s all covered extensively by the kobe and lebron puppets

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvad5_WBWTY

He looked like he was out for blood and him winning felt inevitable. So for the most part everyone expected him to win. At the time people were saying “as good as he is, it’s only a matter of time” and they were right.

calling lebron a modern player feels strange yet right

Weird premise. Since 1980 only 5 players have even won 3 MVPs (Larry won a title year 2, Magic won a title year 1, Michael won a title after MVP 2, LeBron won a title after MVP 3, and Jokic won a title after what should’ve been MVP 3 imo).

Moses Malone & Wilt Chamberlain won 3 MVPs before his first title.

Otherwise Mikan, Russell, and Kareem are the only others to even win 3 MVPs and they all won their first title by year 2.

Routinely called the King without a Crown, King with no ring, etc…

It’s hard to emphasize just how hated he was after the 2011 Finals. With that said, he was still considered by many to be the best player in the league (I believe ESPN ranked him as such). But the pressure was immense. If the Heat didn’t win in 2012, the team may have been broken up.

After the Heat won, a lot of people immediately vaulted him into top ten all-time status, and he was probably as close to a unanimous choice for best player in the league as one can be.

Public opinion was hating and well deserved after the 2011 finals but also an air of inevitability to have our fun while we could because it wouldn’t be long.

People forget it typically takes a while to get your first ring. There was a fun, cathartic clap back after the decision then “not 1, not 2, not 3” “oh no not JJ BAREA!” 😂 going on but no one thought he’d be ringless for very long

Lebron no ring jokes were everywhere, it was the biggest joke on iFunny for a while. Different times

There’s only 9 players ever to win 3+ MVPs, and 3 of them did so before winning a title. Bron, Wilt and Moses. Oddly enough, all 3 won their first ring the same season as their 3rd MVP. Of the other 6, Magic and Larry had a ring years before an MVP, Jokic and MJ had 2 MVPs before a title, Russell and Cap each won MVP their second season, Kareem got his title that same year while Bill won his first ring year 1 (first mvp was surprisingly one of the 2 years he didn’t get a ring)

That finals loss was a big set back for him being considered the best player in the league. He got hammered for it. Especially since a lot of people were pissed about him going to miami

Oh god were at the point where people don’t remember 2011, I’m getting old. Well, it was Ass, So Ass. At least going into the 2012 season it felt like LeBron just, wasn’t as good as everyone was saying at that the MVPs were flukes and he wasn’t a winner, we wasn’t like MJ anymore. OFC he squashed it but yeah it was like that.

Funnily enough its like how everybody good is called the next LeBron but they all don’t show it. LeBron actually showed that he could be the next MJ.

Moses won his 3rd MVP before winning his only championship.

He had the exact timeline as LeBron.

2011 Finals was the lowest. He pulled Ben Simmons after showboating the Decision, “not 1, not 2 intro,” mocking Dirk, and calling his critics to go back to the real World

It felt like a foregone conclusion he would win a ring in a matter of time. He was so dominant it was undeniable. I remember reluctantly admitting he’s the best in the world as early as like 2008 as a Kobe Stan. Ppl used to ask all the time if you’d rather have Kobe (who won multiple chips at the time) or LeBron (who was ring less) and most would still say LeBron.

Don’t know why you include “modern” for 3 MVPs when only 8 players have done it in history.

Wilt and Moses were the same as LeBron. They both won their 3rd MVP when they won their first title. That’s the answer to your question.

Worth mentioning that Jordan was actually really close on this. He won in 1988, finished a close second behind Magic in 1989 (and did win the Sporting News MVP that year) and finished a close 3rd in a weird-ass three horse race in 1990. (Barkley had the most 1st place votes by a good margin, but finished 2nd to Magic.)

Then he won his second MVP in a runaway in 1991 the year he won his first title.

I genuinely think the reason he didn’t win MVP over Magic in 1989 was that the Bulls looked pretty underwhelming the previous year in the playoffs, and some media folks thought they would look foolish for continuing to vote for the guy who had one playoff series win to his credit, over a .500 Cavs team. If the Bulls had given the Pistons a good series in 1988, I suspect he wins that MVP in ‘89.

well he was mocked relentlessly that whole off season, which was already double the length of a normal one.

imagine the giannis pressure after back to back mvps but disappointing playoff exits until 2021. then imagine jokic winning back to back mvps then dissapointing playoff exits until 2023. then multiple by 5 cuz lebron was more famous and had made more of a spectacle as a Heatle

when bron won in 2012, it was extremely well deserved. regular season awards are for regular seasons, they shouldn’t count out cuz of 2011. but at that point, it just didn’t matter. in 09, it was sweet the chosen one established himself as the best player. by 2012, ppl wanted nothing but to see if he could get it done NOW. and it all goes into game 6 ecf being arguably his greatest game

There were so many jokes about cramps and ac units also about being anti clutch

Everyone was (rightfully) clowning on LeBron and the Heat after the 2011 finals. Stats-wise he may have done decently, but he absolutely shrunk under pressure and couldn’t handle the moment at all. And especially being so cocky after the Miami team formed, it was great to see as a general NBA fan.

That team was the KD Warriors before the KD Warriors became a thing, and they lost.

Social media was only a small fraction then of what it was now, so it would have been an even bigger deal in today’s world.

I think the opinion was that he was still the best player on the world despite it all. 

i was like 14 at the time i think a lot of the sentiment was that the award meant nothing, the guy cant perform in the playoffs. which is crazy because he had a lot of huge moments in the 2011 playoffs, outside of the finals. for me i was beyond confident that the heat were winning the whole thing in 2012. like i had no doubt in my mind that they were gonna do it. even when they went down to the pacers, and then the celtics, and then the thunder. like it was just so obvious that they were gonna win to me, but i was a very early adopter of the lebron goat agenda.

King without a ring

his 3rd mvp arrived on the same season as his first title.

If we’re being real, Jordan should have had 5 before finally winning his first championship

i just remember when he finallly won the finals, bron said “it’s about damn time” and that’s generally how most people felt too. i remember my bron hater friends saying, “i can’t believe he actually did it”

Should’ve been 4

Bit like Giannis and Jokic winning 2 MVPs each before they won their rings, but amplified a bit further. Everyone knew he was the best player in the league, he wasn’t really questioned until 2011 finals, Cavs teams were shit and he hard carried them. So it was just 1 year of people questioning him after 2011, until he finally won in 2012.

I’m

It was unlike anything you’ve seen before or after. People genuinely celebrated like their team won in 2011 because they hated Bron so much. Then that summer it got even worse because he was actually enjoying his life. That made Stephen a smith pissed lol.

Then when the season started he refused to shoot jumpers for like the first few months and was just dominating in the paint and the post. At that point we all felt a monster was awaken