New targets: Chael Sonnen attacks LeBron James and the NBA

C. Sonnen during his appearance on “The Jim Rome Show”. Photo: YouTube/Reproduction (Showtime)

It seems like Chael Sonnen never get tired of collecting rivals. And this time the loudmouth abandoned the world of MMA and directed his criticism towards basketball, more specifically the North American professional basketball league (NBA) and Miami Heat winger LeBron James, one of the main active athletes in the sport.

“I think LeBron is an idiot, I don't understand this whole thing. It frustrates me to hear that these guys are world champions. He won a world championship (with the US team) and was in the Olympics. It's so sad to hear that someone who won an NBA title is a world champion, since the championship only exists in the USA. It is not a global event, in which everyone can participate. You didn’t win a world title, you won a national title,” Sonnen said on “The Jim Rome Show,” on American cable TV.

The fighter's criticisms directed at the NBA, regarding the designation of “world champions” for those who win the league title, could extend to other sports in the United States. That's because the NFL, MLB and NHL also use the expression.

Of course, sports are full of great rivalries. But in the 90s, the NBA had one in particular that went beyond the court environment: between the Indiana Pacers player Reggie Miller and the film director, and New York Knicks fan, Spike Lee. The feud between the two intensified in the various series between the two teams in the playoffs of the Eastern Conference. Miller was for years persona non grata in New York. Are we about to witness new friction, this time with Chael Sonnen on one side and LeBron James and the city of Miami on the other?

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