LeBron James‘ explosive interview with Pat McAfee continues to send shockwaves across the NBA community. One of the more interesting tidbits from the interview was LeBron taking a swipe at former NBA players who have gone on to become media analysts and professionals, noting that while they were physically athletic, they weren’t the smartest players and couldn’t really analyze the game at a high level.
“A lot of those guys that played the game, they played the game while they were talented. I don’t think they thought the game or were ever smart. They were just bigger, stronger, and maybe faster, and they dominated, and when it was over, it was over.”
There are several former NBA players who have gone on to become analysts, like Kendrick Perkins, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, Vince Carter, and Richard Jefferson, along with many others. To suggest that all of them relied on just their physicality rather than their overall intelligence and basketball IQ is a little bit of a stretch.
However, given that most of these players, aside from Carter, ended their careers far before LeBron James, not to mention saw a great decline in their level of performance, maybe there is some truth to what he’s saying. James did say in the same interview that his basketball IQ has played a big part in his ability to continue playing at the highest level.
At 40 years old, LeBron is one of the best players in the NBA, still putting up superstar numbers. Since turning 40, James has averaged 25.7 points, 8.5 rebounds, 7.9 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game while shooting 52.9% from the field, 39.5% from beyond the arc, and 77.2% from the free-throw line.
These are incredible numbers for a player who is as old as he is. In fact, James is currently averaging better numbers than Derrick Rose did during his 2011 MVP season. It is truly astonishing to see LeBron perform at the highest level after two decades in the NBA.
James Appreciates Respect Of His Peers
LeBron also spoke about being a revered figure among players in the NBA. He appreciates the players in the league having so much respect for him and feels responsible for making sure that his fellow players are not taken advantage of or spoken about poorly.
“To have the respect of my peers, it means a lot, and I carry that and take that with a lot of responsibility because too many years went by when players did not have the opportunity to just speak, have their voices to be heard, or allow the narrative to get so outside of sports…”
“I think people in the media have gotten too comfortable, especially with our sport… They got to the point where they were like ‘Oh, these guys can’t really do anything to use anymore because there would be a fine or a suspension…'”
LeBron is considered a leader, not just on the Lakers, but of the entire NBA players group. Given how long he has played, James is a figure that many of the younger players look up to, as they watched him dominate the NBA while growing up.
And as such, he does his best to look out for all of the players in the league, using some of the power and cache he has accrued over the years to ensure that NBA players are not taken advantage of or put in any difficult position.
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