LeBron James Slams Haters with Gym Selfies After Rival Team GM Questions If His 2020 NBA Championship Is ‘Legitimate’

NEED TO KNOW

• LeBron James is clapping back against the naysayers
• The Lakers icon posted photos of a recent workout, after an NBA GM questioned the legitimacy of his team's 2020 championship
• James opted into his $52.6-million contract extension this summer, but has been monitoring his team's moves with an eye to another title

LeBron James is pushing back against those who question his dedication — and his accomplishments.

Amid persistent trade rumors, the Los Angeles Lakers star shared images of a recent workout on Instagram on Thursday, July 31, in the wake of a report in which one NBA executive questioned the legitimacy of the Lakers winning the NBA Finals while in the 2020 NBA Bubble.

“Say whatever you want but you damn sure won't be able to say I didn't put in the WORK!! 👑 ,” James, 40, wrote. “We'll see what happens when I no longer exist. Man F this Shhhhhh.”

The NBA icon’s comments came after Daryl Morey, the general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers, told The Athletic that the Lakers’ title — which they won amid the COVID-19 pandemic, when the remaining NBA playoff teams finished out the 2019-2020 season in a closed-doors tournament at Disney World — wasn’t a “genuine championship.”

“Had the Rockets won the title, I absolutely would have celebrated it as legitimate, knowing the immense effort and resilience required,” Morey, who was the GM in Houston at the time, said. “Yet, everyone I speak to around the league privately agrees that it doesn’t truly hold up as a genuine championship.”

He added, “Perhaps the lasting legacy of the NBA bubble is that the NBA should be proud of its leadership at both the beginning and end of the pandemic, even though the champion will forever be marked by an asterisk.”

It’s been nearly five years since the NBA playoffs were held at Walt Disney World during COVID. The Lakers, playing under the same constraints and rules as every other team, prevailed over the Miami Heat in six games.

For James, this summer has been one of resilience if not uncertainty.

In June, the athlete opted into his $52.6 million player option for the coming season. His agent Rich Paul told ESPN on Sunday, June 29 that James "knows the Lakers are building for the future ... but he values a realistic chance of winning it all."

But Paul hinted at the time that his client would be monitoring the team’s off-season moves and that winning another title is what James desires.

While on The TylilShow Live this week, Paul addressed the trade rumors.

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“The man has a no-trade clause. End of story,” he said. “He has a no-trade clause. It’s up to him. He has a no-trade clause. So, in the event when a player has a no-trade clause and a team wants to trade that player, that player can say no. That’s in his contract.”

Read the original article on People