LeBron James Pushes Back on NBA Ring Culture With Strong Peyton Manning Argument

LeBron James pushed back at the heavy ring culture surrounding the NBA.

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James. / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

LeBron James has won four NBA championships over his illustrious career, but he does not agree with the heavy "ring culture" that dominates the league.

In his most recent episode of the Mind the Game podcast with Steve Nash, James pushed back against the narrative that players who haven't won any or many rings can't be in the conversation as the greatest players in the sport.

"I don't know why it's discussed so much in our sport," James told Nash. "And why it's the end all, be all of everything. It's like, 'you weren't a great player if you never won a championship.' Or if you won one, you can't be in the same conversation as this person."

“A ring is a team accomplishment…I don’t know where [ring culture] started, especially when it comes to me individually.”

LeBron James on Ring Culture.
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"You sit here and tell me Allen Iverson, Charles Barkley, Steve Nash wasn't unbelievable? 'Oh they can't be talked about or discussed with these guys because this guy won. It's just weird to me," James continued. "It's like saying Peyton Manning can't be in the same room with [Tom] Brady or [Patrick] Mahomes because he only has one ring. They never discuss that in their sport. Or telling me that Dan Marino isn't the greatest slinger of all time, or he can't be in the room with those guys because he doesn't have a championship. They don't discuss those things."

Ring culture in the NBA certainly is prevalent, and as James pointed out, shouldn't necessarily cause great players without championships to be excluded from conversations of all-time great players. However, the conversation is also prevalent in the NFL, especially at the quarterback position.

Though Peyton Manning won two Super Bowls, he is not often considered in the class of Brady, who is widely regarded as the greatest quarterback ever—in large part because of his championship résumé. Manning and Marino are both widely considered top-10 quarterbacks in league history, but their number of championships does prevent them from being considered the best.

Ultimately, James feels these conversations shouldn't be so heavily predicated on rings—which are a team accomplishment in these sports.

"I don't understand where it came from, I don't know where it started," James said. "We just have to appreciate more what guys have been able to accomplish, what guys have been able to do. A ring is a team accomplishment."

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