I have a feeling that I am going to get a lot of hate for this one. I can’t blame people for hating, but if you are only going to read the headline than you have not performed enough due diligence to make to develop an educated opinion on the matter.

I will not deny the fact that LeBron James is one of the greatest NBA players to ever step foot on the court. The man, from a skills standpoint, could very well be the greatest of all time in some people’s eyes. The man holds countless records and is often compared to in my humble opinion the greatest of all time, Michael Jordan. But I have two words that should easily keep LeBron out of the NBA Hall of Fame.

Morality Clause.

While the NBA does not really use a morality clause when determining Hall of Fame candidates, they should absolutely start doing so. Major League Baseball has stood their ground and not let some of the greatest players of all time into the Hall of Fame simply for morality clause reasons. The MLB has kept out the likes of Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Raphael Palmeiro, Pete Rose, and even though it hasn’t happened yet, it’s inevitable that Alex Rodriguez will be kept out of the MLB Hall of Fame.

The players listed above broke the rules of the league by using banned substances to enhance their game play. While LeBron was liked to Anthony Bosch and a biogenesis scandal in Florida, there is no proof he actually took any PED’s and was never put on trial like the above mentioned athletes.

With that said, LeBron James does consistently break NBA rules with little to no disregard.

In June of 2020, James was caught and other Los Angeles Lakers players were having secret practice sessions when they were not supposed to be. The guidelines that the NBA released says that players were not practice with their teammates until July 9th of 2020 at as Lakers superfan’s replica court at his/her home. Of course, LeBron and his teammates got away with this and not even a slap on the wrist.

LeBron is consistently caught “traveling” by both fans and announcers during games. For whatever reason, the NBA allows it and does not penalize him for it. Don’t believe me? Just go on YouTube and you can find numerous instances whereby LeBron is traveling and does not get called for it.

For years, LeBron was caught falling forward during a free throw shot into the lane. The NBA rules state the following “The free throw shooter may not cross the plane of the free throw line until the ball touches the basket ringbackboard, or the free throw ends.” Eventually, LeBron did called for this in the 2018 Eastern Conference Semifinals. But it took nearly sixteen years for the league to do something about it.

In a game against the Memphis Grizzlies in 2021, LeBron FINALLY got called for flopping onto the ground. Again, for years and years James has done this without any penalty from the NBA. It took nearly 20 years in the league for them to finally do something about it.

While there are certainly main more scenarios that can be brought up, in the interest of efficiency I will share this last item because it happened so recently. James violated NBA COVID-19 protocol by attending a promotional event for a tequila company he’s an investor in last week, which the NBA has determined violated its health and safety protocols, but he will not be suspended. Meanwhile, a few weeks prior to this incident, Kevin Porter Jr was fined $50,000 for attending a strip club. Seem a bit unfair doesn’t it?

When it comes down to it, the NBA has enabled James to the point whereby he feels he is above the rules. I can’t put it all on LeBron. When they system that is supposed to enforce its rules on you gives you a pass all the time, why wouldn’t he break the rules regularly?

But again, it comes down to a morality clause. Just because the league lets you get away with anything, doesn’t mean you need to take advantage of it. It is very evident that LeBron James does not respect the game of basketball, the NBA, or its officials. He has done nothing be devalue the league and made the game less credible. From a morality clause standpoint, LeBron James does not deserve to be in the NBA Hall of Fame when he is officially eligible to be on a ballot.

Hopefully by the time that comes, those who vote him in have morals of their own and keep him far away from Springfield, MA.

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