As Stephen A. Smith would say, LeBron James is “box office.” He never cheats the game, and for 21 seasons, we have enjoyed a role model. That’s point-blank period. James has built a lovely Black family with his wife Savannah—they showcase love in healthy ways and their kids seem very grounded. When it comes to James’ life on the basketball court, there are very few things to nitpick at. He had a rough time in his first NBA Finals with the Miami Heat. And yes, there are moments where he may have settled for jumpers, rather than putting the ball on the floor. Those are all fair critiques. But outside of that, he has been stellar.

There aren’t tons of scandals that follow James. As an affluent Black man, in one of the most visible positions in our country, he has had an uncanny and mature presence of mind. Make no mistake, you have to choose to keep your nose clean out here from early. It’s clear, even now in the NBA, what can happen to young players when they don’t. To coin a proverbial term these days, James has been intentional, and I appreciate the way he has gone about his business.

However, for all of his “T’s” that he has crossed, there are some areas of his off-court decision-making that the media believes can blemish his image. The future Hall of Famer’s passive aggressiveness has been called into question at times. Some may give it a distinction of a diva or narcissistic quality. This most recently came to light during the latest iteration of NBA All-Star Weekend. You see, James didn’t participate in the festivities on the court, he cited ankle soreness. That decision wasn’t the reason he was met with any media backlash. Actually, the backlash stemmed from the announcement coming barely an hour before game time.

The media and public alike found the timing of this to be inconsiderate, and seemingly done for attention. The four-time champion was also lambasted for not suiting up for team photos that day. To be fair, though, it’s not typical for players to suit up during all-star games if they’re out due to injury. There were several of those games when I grew up, where Grant Hill was wearing a suit. I think that specific criticism is unfair.

But again, I believe that the media takes exception to what they perceive as James’ aloofness of the moment. There’s a disingenuous feel to it that seemingly they’re growing fatigued with. Whether it’s been him pump-faking participating in the Slam Dunk Contest, or his handling of Bronny entering the league, it all seems to feel the same. For that matter, it does say a lot that these are the worst things you can cite about a person.

Let’s really think about this, of all the ills that we can list of professional athletes and their conduct, this is all we got! So yes, I think the “King” can at times be condescending. Yes, he can be petty, but ultimately, he’s one of the best ambassadors that the NBA has ever had. No custody battles, no domestic violence allegations, nothing. James doesn’t even load manage much at his big age.

I say all of this to say that it’s fair to call him out, but let us not lose context. He has been damn near as good a it gets as a professional athlete.