LeBron James believes the media deserves blame for not helping fans become more emotionally invested in the NBA Finals.
After splitting the first two games of the series, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers might be destined for a long and competitive NBA Finals. But entering the series, it’s a matchup that lacked appeal. And for that, James said the media needs to do better.
“We all have a story,” James told Steve Nash on their Mind the Game podcast. “And there is a lot of stories that could be told on the OKC roster and on the Pacers roster. And it’s like, do the guys that preach our game, do they want to do the homework and take the time out to actually tell these stories. And it doesn’t seem way.”
“It’s just, ‘what can I say without truth or without knowledge’ or ‘this is what I want to say’ and there’s no accountability behind it. That now goes to our fans. We have to protect our players and protect our product and also bring an awareness. I think our game is also about storytelling,” he added.
James recalled watching the NBA Finals as a kid and learning about the backstories of certain players, which helped make fans feel more emotionally invested. He’s right to an extent. ESPN can do a better job of selling the Finals. The media can do a better job of storytelling.
