LeBron James doesn’t have the so-called “clutch gene,” according to Hall of Famer and TV talking head Scottie Pippen.
Pippen says James lacks the requisite end-of-game killer instinct Kobe Bryant and former teammate Michael Jordan were celebrated for.
Scottie Pippen had some things to say about LeBron James' lack of a "clutch gene" compared to Michael Jordan: "When I look at LeBron, he's not what Michael was as a player." https://t.co/6tvfNHm9y4
— USA TODAY NBA (@usatodaynba) February 14, 2019
Scottie seemed particularly offended by LeBron’s body language in the Lakers’ 117-113 loss in Atlanta this week.
Per USA Today:
“When I look at LeBron, he’s not what Michael was as a player,” Pippen said during an NBA All-Star segment on ESPN’s First Take. “He’s not even what Kobe Bryant was as a player. So, when you talk about trying to compare Michael’s instinct, his ability to take over games, his ability to want to have the last shot, LeBron doesn’t have that gene. That’s not in him. Kobe has that gene. I see a little bit of it in Paul George. Kawhi (Leonard), (Russell) Westbrook. … Not too many players go on the basketball court with that.”
Pippen won six championships playing alongside Jordan. He’s offered both praise and skepticism of James in the past, even saying that James is “probably ahead of Jordan” in 2017. His comments on the Jordan vs. James debate have fluctuated over the years.
“I can sit here and say today, I watched LeBron the other night,” Pippen said. “The game was on the line. And he made little or no effort to go after the ball.”
ESPN host Max Kellerman defended James, claiming the three-time NBA champion has already played more minutes than Jordan did in his entire career.
“It’s not that,” Pippen said. “It’s that clutch gene. I’m not taking it away that he don’t know how to win, and he’s not willing to have the ball in his hands. But the players that have that clutch gene, they’re gonna go get that ball.”
