Like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James watches the Discovery Channel for inspiration.
The Black Mamba once claimed that his form on his fadeaway jump shot was inspired by watching a hunting Cheetah on the Warner Bros’-owned TV channel.
Well, LeBron also said that he always watches Discovery Channel. He used what he learned from it to explain one of the biggest criticisms of his game.
James is one of the best players of all time, if not the greatest.
However, his detractors have always criticized him for not possessing the killer instinct that Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant had.
“There are different ways to hunt,” explained LeBron.
“I watch the Discovery Channel all the time, and you look at all these animals in the wild. And they all hunt a different way to feed their families. They all kill a different ways. Lions do it strategically — two females will lead, and then everybody else will come in. Hyenas will just go for it. There are different ways to kill, and I don’t think people understand that.”
LeBron doesn’t have the killer instinct
Mike and Bean were known as vicious competitors who liked to take over games with their scoring prowess.
MJ and the Black Mamba never deferred to their teammates when it was winning time and took it upon themselves to take the biggest shot of the game.
LeBron, meanwhile, has always insisted that even during a game-winning situation, he would make the right basketball play, even if that means passing up the last-second shot in favor of a wide-open opponent. It’s this difference in his approach that has led to criticisms about his so-called lack of killer instinct. But according to James, it’s just perception.
“Everybody wants everybody to kill the same way.
Everybody wants everybody to kill like MJ or kill like Kobe.
Magic didn’t kill the way they killed. Does that mean he didn’t have a killer instinct?
Kareem didn’t either. But does that mean Kareem didn’t have a killer instinct?
The same with Bird. That doesn’t mean you don’t have a killer instinct.
Tim Duncan doesn’t kill like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, but I’ve played against Tim Duncan twice in the Finals and I know for sure he’s got a killer instinct.
So there are different ways to kill,” The King added.
Jim Jackson explained this on The Rich Eisen Show
LeBron has a good point. And this was explained by fellow Ohio native and former Dallas Mavericks star Jim Jackson when he visited The Rich Eisen Show last year.
According to Jackson, LeBron can only be who he can be.
“Magic was different. Magic didn’t have that killer [mentality] like that.
Magic beat you all the way around. Smiled at you, pat you on the butt, then drop 18 points and 15 assists, and ten rebounds.
Then, he commanded and controlled the game. What’s the difference there? LeBron can only be who he can be,” Jackson said.
Shaquille O’Neal also once said that LeBron couldn’t have scored 38,000 points without killer instinct.
James now has over 40,000 career points, but his critics still say he doesn’t have it. You can’t blame them.
Because no matter what LeBron does, it’s always wrong for them until he does what Mike did. Be like Mike, or so they say.