Few players in the NBA can capture the imagination of fans quite like LeBron James and Stephen Curry. One has redefined the expectations from an NBA player with his remarkable longevity and the other has reshaped the modern NBA landscape. For the past decade, matchups between their teams have generated immense hype and attention. However, both Steph and LeBron’s powers are starting to wane, as they both enter the twilight years of their illustrious careers.

New promising players like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Dončić, and Victor Wembanyama have started to garner equal amounts of attention, if not more. But instead of focusing on the up-and-coming teams and players, the NBA media continues to prioritize LeBron and Curry and their respective teams. NBA icon and TNT analyst Charles Barkley has called out the media’s obsession with LeBron and Steph during TNT’s coverage of the Lakers vs Warriors match. He said, “You know, our sister network—the idiots on the other network keep talking about the Lakers and the Warriors like they got a chance.”

Kwame Brown, a former Laker, also agrees with Charles Barkley’s assessment of the current NBA media landscape. In an interview with TMZ, Brown stated that the media needs to promote young players like Shai Gilgeous Alexander, and promising teams like the OKC Thunder more often. He said, “The only thing I see what’s wrong with the NBA is that they hold on to the ‘superstar’ thing too long. We got OKC … before, I didn’t even know their starting 5. You don’t even know their coach. You gotta start promoting this young talent that you have. Otherwise, they’re going to be scrambling when LeBron’s gone.”

Charles Barkley and Kwame Brown aren’t the first people to criticize the media for their coverage of the NBA. Several fans have been critical of ESPN’s coverage of the NBA for some time.

Are fans fed up with ESPN’s obsession with LeBron James?

ESPN has maintained a near monopolistic hold on the NBA media landscape for years. They are, without a shadow of a doubt, the most popular sports network. However, in recent seasons, fans have witnessed a growing trend where ESPN prioritizes trending topics over providing in-depth basketball analysis. This has angered several die-hard fans of the sport.

Things came to a head during the 2023 Western Conference Finals between the Lakers and the Nuggets. While the Nuggets won the series and clinched a title showdown with the Miami Heat, ESPN focused their coverage on LeBron James and the Lakers. Even ESPN analyst JJ Redick called out the network during a segment of the First Take. He said, “We don’t do a good job of selling what the NBA is which is 30 teams, 450 players, multiple superstars.” With ESPN receiving critique and backlash from all sides of the basketball community, is it time for them to review their coverage strategy? Let us know in the comments below!

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