“Sports media reacted to every single LeBron James moment in game as if it were legacy defining” - NBA analyst believes great players are allowed to have bad games after 3x All-Star’s recent struggles

Nick Wright believes that the way the NBA media has treated LeBron James over his career is now hurting other star players in the association.

Jayson Tatum's struggles in Game 1 of the NBA Finals and his lack of consistency throughout the playoffs have sparked a lot of scrutiny. Nick Wright, on FOX Sports' "What's Wright?" talked about how the media is quick to extrapolate conclusions from relatively insignificant events. Wright said:

"One of the long tails unintended consequences of the insane way sports media reacted to every single LeBron James moment in game as if it were legacy defining and it got in people's brain that great players don't have bad games, they do.

"There's one guy in the league right now that if he has a subpar game you're shocked, it's Giannis. Giannis is the only guy that even on a bad night is good.

"I think Luka's the second-best player in the league, Luka on a bad night. He'll still have great counting numbers but his defense will be lacking. He'll wear down at the end. Tatum is top 10"

NBA media, and sports media at large, functions by gathering attention. There are many legitimate ways to do so. However, members of the media are culpable for blowing things out of proportion to keep a constant influx of content.

LeBron James' reign as one of the best players in the NBA is a bane in and of itself

LeBron James has been very good for a very long time.

A large part of why LeBron has often come under heavy scrutiny from the media can be attributed to his game. James has been very good for a very long time and has arguably been the best player in the NBA for almost a decade.

James was perhaps the most hyped prospect ever to come out of high school. LeBron has managed to maintain the hype from his rookie year to his 19th without skipping a beat.

James single-handedly took the Cavaliers to the NBA Finals in just his fourth season in the NBA. He also led them to a second-round exit as well as a conference finals berth in 2009.

Between 2010 and 2020, LeBron James reached the NBA Finals nine times. His endorsements, his media presence and his business endeavors all augment what he does on the court. Having recently become a billionaire, LeBron doesn't plan on stopping anytime soon.