NBA players aren’t allowed to criticize players from other teams, but Rasheed Wallace is a former NBA player who is now a sport commentator. In a recent broadcast on NBA TV, Rasheed criticized LeBron James’ decision not to play in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics, calling it a “dirty” play. When the cameras left the studio, a group of fans waited outside and proceeded to taunt Rasheed for his comments.
Rasheed Wallace was at it again after the Celtics loss against the Cavaliers on Sunday. This time, he decided to weigh in on a very sensitive topic: LeBron James’ latest comments. “Like I said at the press conference, I think it’s a great rivalry and something the NBA should have, being that he’s a great player, I think that’s a great rivalry for the league,” LeBron said. “I think that if I have to go against him, I’ll be glad to.”
When it came out that LeBron James told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin that the Detroit Pistons, the team he played for in his ten years in the NBA, was better than the Cleveland Cavaliers, Rasheed Wallace went off on him in a postgame press conference. “We have a better team than the Cavaliers,” Wallace said, “and you can’t say that.”
After his somewhat surprising take on Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, Detroit Pistons legend Rasheed Wallace found himself on the receiving end of social media ridicule.
Wallace stated on the Million Dollaz Worth of Game podcast that if LeBron had played in his period, he would not have been as successful as he is now. While he didn’t label Lakers star LeBron James “soft,” he did acknowledge that he wouldn’t have been the beast he is now at the time.
“With his physical size, being larger than the bulk of the other players, he definitely would’ve done well. So he would have definitely held his own, but I doubt he would have been as successful as he is today. Back then, it was a whole different period. “I wouldn’t say he would have been a beast, but I believe he would have held his own,” Wallace added.
Of course, everyone is aware of Rasheed Wallace’s remarks. After all, he still played in an era when the NBA’s toughness was at an all-time high and the prominence of post-up plays made height count more than anything else.
Wallace, on the other hand, may have forgotten that LeBron James played throughout the most of his “period.” Sheed played in the NBA from 1995 to 2013, while LeBron joined in 2003 as a draft pick.
In fact, he crushed Wallace’s Pistons at one point in the Eastern Conference Finals, scoring 48 points in Game 5.
After Wallace’s opinion on the Lakers forward, fans were eager to remind him of it.
Rasheed Wallace: LeBron James would not have lasted in my day.
4 MVPs, 2 NBA titles, 2 Finals MVPs, 9x All-NBA selection throughout Rasheed Wallace’s era (96-13). twitter.com/pyKFRZyLQG
September 7, 2023 — NBA Memes (@NBAMemes)
A much, much sh*ttier version of LeBron defeated a 32-year-old Rasheed Wallace and a Pistons team that was one year away from having four all-star choices hahaha more than 14 years ago. https://t.co/bYthlU9orv
September 7, 2023 — Jason Timpf (@ JasonLT)
https://t.co/WWe99Ph4Qj pic.twitter.com/d8rxYe6AFc LeBron in the “Rasheed Wallace era”: https://t.co/WWe99Ph4Qj
September 7, 2023 — MyNameIsNotSimba (@mightbe simba)
This is a fantastic idea. When the rest of the league backtracks, the greatest physically talented basketball player of all time would become worse. Not only that, but throughout Rasheed Wallace’s career, LeBron earned four MVP awards. Sheed is one of my favorite chefs, but this rendition is worse than Chicago-style pizza. https://t.co/9hdTFbeqQR
September 7, 2023 — Gary Sheffield Jr. (@GarysheffieldJr)
LeBron has yet to respond to Wallace’s comments, but it doesn’t seem like he has to, with fans and analysts alike reminding the one-time NBA champion of how the Lakers leader dominated the game when the league was still controlled by big guys and strong defenders.
Photo caption: LeBron James is as successful as he is today when playing against Rasheed Wallace. https://t.co/yxIaZxj1Bg
September 7, 2023 — Steve McPherson (OLED model) (@steventurous)
Rasheed Wallace was born in the year 1995 and died in the year 2013. From 2003 until the present, LeBron James has been a dominant figure in the NBA.
Yes, I’m sure LeBron would have struggled in those eight years prior to his entry into the NBA. “The Era of Sheed” https://t.co/tdteG33rnG
September 7, 2023 — Nick Angstadt (@NickVanExit)
During Rasheed Wallace’s career, LeBron earned four MVP awards. https://t.co/DY3JLBT08P
September 7, 2023 — Danny Cunningham (@RealDCunningham)
After LeBron’s debut, Rasheed Wallace was named to two all-star teams. He played 49.1 percent of his games in the league alongside LeBron James? https://t.co/V2DB9zpjuL
September 7, 2023 — Lake Show Life (@TheLakeShowLife)
You and LeBron James played in the same period, Rasheed Wallace! FIFTY-ONE times you had to confront each other! In the regular season, here’s how he fared against you: pic.twitter.com/cNY9A7fW3J
September 7, 2023 — Johnny Ride (@JReidenouer)
Rasheed Wallace was a member of the NBA during LeBron James’ lone scoring championship and highest PPG season (2008). (30 PPG) https://t.co/ENrSMMzc2V
September 7, 2023 — Josh Toussaint (@josh2saint)
Rasheed Wallace left the company in 2013.
LeBron was chosen in the third round of the 2003 NBA Draft.
LeBron James and Rasheed Wallace played together for more than half of their NBA careers.
Make sense of the “my period” stuff. https://t.co/1vbsO51KBa
September 7, 2023 — BlackVoice4u (@BlackVoice4u)
This text is sensitive. Try generating new copy.. Read more about where was lebron james born and let us know what you think.
Related Tags
- nba news
- lakers schedule
- rasheed wallace
- lebron james accomplishments
- rasheed wallace stats
