LeBron’s shirtless pregame routine triggers old-school outrage, reigniting NBA’s generational clash over image.

LeBron James has once again become the center of controversy—this time not for anything he said or did on the court, but for what he didn’t wear during pre-game warmups.

Ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers’ matchup with the Houston Rockets, LeBron was seen on the court shirtless during a shootaround.

While fans may have seen it as a harmless display of fitness or even motivation, a few NBA legends are calling foul, sparking a generational debate about professionalism and image in the modern league.

Isiah Thomas, a Hall of Fame point guard known for leading the Detroit Pistons’ “Bad Boy” era, was the first to take aim. Thomas went so far as to say that if he were a coach or GM, he wouldn’t allow it, citing a lack of professionalism.

Former Suns player and veteran analyst Eddie Johnson agreed, tweeting:

“I 100 percent agree with Isiah, I have been saying for years that sports has loss this aspect of how we send messages to individuals who desire to make, coach, GM, Own a team. Players wearing anything outside of team gear before a game is wrong!”

Ron Harper added his own criticism, lamenting the loss of dress code discipline and stating:

“No more rules and dress code for anything. When hockey dress better then the NBA it’s a problem.”

Critics of the backlash, however, are quick to point out the irony and inconsistency in these comments.

Many of the players now calling for a return to stricter dress codes were once part of an NBA era that the public often associated with chaos and violence—especially the Detroit Pistons’ infamous “Bad Boy” days, where fights and hard fouls were the norm.

These same voices are now attacking LeBron James for something as trivial as warming up shirtless.

There’s also the reality that the NBA has evolved since those days. David Stern’s imposition of a strict dress code in the early 2000s aimed to clean up the league’s public image, which had suffered due to off-court incidents and the perception of players as “thugs.”

Today, however, the NBA embraces individuality and player expression. When someone like Ja Morant crosses the line, the league takes decisive action—but a shirtless warm-up by the most respected player of the last two decades is hardly a crime.

LeBron, who has been the league’s ultimate ambassador for over 20 years, didn’t seem bothered by the criticism.

At this stage in his career, he continues to lead by example, both through his elite play and spotless conduct. If anything, this uproar seems to reveal more about the critics’ outdated expectations than about LeBron’s professionalism.

Ultimately, this is not about a shirt. It’s about the tension between eras—between tradition and progress—and once again, LeBron James stands at the crossroads of basketball’s generational debate.