Recently, former NBA point guard Mario Chalmers made waves after stating that LeBron James wasn’t widely feared in the association the same way that guys like Kobe and Jordan were.
While the comment wasn’t intended as disrespect, many in the community took it as a shot at LeBron, and some have come out to condemn the statement.
Speaking on ‘The Old Man & The Three,” former big man Kendrick Perkins revealed that he was so scared of LeBron in 2008 that he prayed for ‘something to happen to him’ after practice.
“We played the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2008, and it was a Game 7. We had just lost Game 6. I ain’t gonna lie, man, I was scared as hell going into that Game 7 against LeBron James,” said Perk. “This was the only time that I actually prayed for something to happen to him at practice. I was like, ‘let us get breaking news that LeBron tore his ACL or something.”
It’s never cool to wish injury or harm on another player, and Perk would probably agree, but even he couldn’t stop himself from wishing for Lebron’s downfall that year.
As it would turn out, he had every right to be scared. Though Cleveland would ultimately lose the series, LeBron fought to his last breath with a 45-point performance in Game 7.
It wasn’t enough to secure the win that year, but it would be a taste of things to come for the rest of his career.
Do NBA Players Fear LeBron James?
With ongoing conversations about whether or not LeBron is truly feared, Perkins’ story proves that James really does strike fear in his opponents.
Draymond Green confirmed as much on his recent podcast.
“I personally know people that were scared of LeBron James,” he said to Tristan Thompson. “I know a bunch of people who were and are in fact, terrified of LeBron James. I’ve seen it. At times I’ve had teammates that were terrified of LeBron James.”
Even now, LeBron isn’t a man to be trifled with. On the court, at almost 4o years old, King James continues to dominate and his presence alone gives the Lakers a chance to make some kind of playoff run.
No doubt, Kendrick Perkins isn’t the only competitor to wish ill-will LeBron. It comes with the territory of being great.
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