Olden Polynice went on SiriusXM NBA Radio and delivered a LeBron James take that doesn’t hold up under much scrutiny.
Polynice, who spent two seasons with the Jazz from 1999 to 2001, said, “I believe LeBron James underachieved.” His point centered on Russell Westbrook averaging a triple-double - something James never did - and he framed that as part of the “stain” on James’ legacy.
That’s a strange standard to apply to James, especially when only three players have ever averaged a triple-double: Westbrook, Oscar Robertson, and Nikola Jokic. If that’s the bar, then plenty of all-time greats would suddenly be getting judged for not checking off a statistical box that almost nobody in league history has reached.
James also sits near the top of the NBA’s all-time record lists, though one mark will almost certainly stay out of reach: assists. John Stockton owns that record, and it’s likely to remain untouched.
But that hardly feels like something to use against James. Being anywhere near Stockton in that category says plenty about James’ production and longevity, just as it did for Stockton in his own era.
Polynice’s comments fit a pattern that keeps popping up around former NBA players criticizing today’s stars. It’s not just James who gets this treatment. Shaquille O’Neal has been openly harsh on Rudy Gobert as well, going so far as to say last year that he does not believe Gobert is a Hall of Famer.
There’s nothing wrong with having an opinion on modern players. But using what LeBron James didn’t do - rather than what he did - feels like a reach. When the résumé is this long and this loaded, the better lens is what he actually accomplished, not the one statistical milestone he never hit.
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