Ron Harper sends direct message to LeBron fans: ‘I’m not against him’

Former Los Angeles Lakers guard Ron Harper recently made some belittling comments about L.A.’s championship in the NBA bubble in 2020.

He called the team’s bubble ring “trash” in a post on X. As many know, Lakers star LeBron James was key to that title run for the Lakers as he was named Finals MVP.

While the take from Harper wasn’t necessarily meant as a shot at James specifically, Harper has made many comments before in which he has seemingly minimized some of James’ accomplishments.

But on Tuesday, he sent a direct message to fans of James and lightened the mood. Harper also claimed that there is no right or wrong answer when it comes to the G.O.A.T. (greatest of all time) debate.

It’s nice to see Harper discuss James in a non-negative light. Back in January, Harper appeared to laugh in response to an X post proclaiming James as the greatest basketball player of all time. As mentioned, he hasn’t been afraid to be critical of the four-time champion and 21-time All-Star.

Harper just so happened to play alongside former Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan, someone else who’s frequently brought up in G.O.A.T. conversations along with James. Harper was the Bulls’ starting floor general during their second three-peat in the late 1990s and an effective two-way player during that part of the dynasty.

Maybe Harper has historically been a bit critical of James because he wants to prop up the era of basketball he played in, when the 3-point shot wasn’t the staple of NBA offenses it is now and the game was more physical.

By the time James kicked off his NBA career with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2003-04 season, Harper was already retired from the league. He last played in the NBA with the Lakers in the 2000-01 campaign and ended his pro career with a title. After winning three rings with the Bulls and two with the Lakers, he retired a five-time champ.

All in all, maybe Harper’s comments on X mark a shift in how he will talk about James moving forward, or perhaps he just wanted to issue a clarifying statement so that fans know how to interpret his takes in the future.