LeBron James has been highly critical of the media discourse surrounding the NBA, and recently, he aimed at “ring culture.”

On the latest episode of his ”Mind the Game” podcast, James argued that equating greatness in the NBA solely based on the number of championships a player has accumulated is problematic.

"I don't know why it's discussed so much in our sport and why it's the end-all-be-all of everything. "You tell me Allen Iverson, Charles Barkley, and Steve Nash weren't f**** unbelievable? They can't be talked about with these guys because they won rings? It's like saying Peyton Manning can't be in the same room with Tom Brady or Mahomes because he only has one ring,” the Los Angeles Lakers star said.

“They don't ever discuss that in their sport. You telling me that Dan Marino is not the greatest slinger of all time because he didn't win a championship, James continued. “They don't discuss those things. Barry Bonds never won a World Series, and you can't sit here and tell me that he's not the greatest baseball player to ever touch a bat."

James went on to say that the NBA logo, which is modeled after NBA legend Jerry West, was created from the career of a player who won only a single championship in his 14-year career.

"Jerry West went to like nine straight NBA Finals and was only able to win one ring. And he's the logo of our league," said James. "So you can't sit here and tell me that, okay, because he only won one, the guy can't be in the same room with the guy who won two or three or four. Like, why not?"

Although he has won four championships and played in numerous NBA Finals, James argues that basketball is fundamentally a team game. According to the four-time NBA MVP, some of the greatest players of all time who never won a championship should not have their exemplary careers and accomplishments diminished because of ring culture.