LeBron James is one of the most loved and revered athletes in the world, there aren’t many that come close to having the devoted fanbase he does. His image as one of the NBA’s greatest ever is added to by his love for his family, his work in the community, and his generally fun personality. While LeBron has quite a few haters considering how good he is, that is balanced out by the number of ardent fans.
But this wasn’t always the case. There was a time when LeBron James was universally hated in the NBA world. When he made ‘The Decision’ and ended up forming the Heatles in Miami, many fans across the league wanted to see the superteam fail. And unbelievably, they got their wish in the first season, with Dirk Nowitzki and his Dallas Mavericks beating them in the 2011 NBA Finals.
The outpouring of hate that followed was incredible, LeBron was trolled mercilessly at every turn. And James didn’t exactly take it well either, he leaned into the villain persona. His speech from then talking about the haters’ lives was much maligned but viral, with players referencing it to this day. He did receive some interesting advice from one of his peers, though.
Amar’e Stoudemire Gave Michael Jordan’s Example To Tell LeBron James To Connect With People
Amar’e Stoudemire was a star in the league at the time, and he suggested that LeBron James needed to connect with people instead of lashing out. Stoudemire used Michael Jordan as an example, and considering how relatable LeBron James would go on to become, hit the nail on the head with his advice.
“I think you have to conduct yourself in a way that people can relate to you. The more they can relate to you, the more they will appreciate you.
“Everybody has their own way of commenting on things, but I would have commented differently. One thing about Michael Jordan was that no matter how great he was and how much of a platform he stood on, he still related to all the hard workers out there in the world. I think LeBron is still young, and there is still time for him to reconnect with the public.”
There’s no way to know how James might have reacted to the advice at the time, but he did do something similar moving forward. Most of what rehabilitated his image was bringing a championship back to his hometown team in Cleveland and becoming an active voice in helping the less fortunate. So he did connect to the people, and it did get better, just as Amar’e said it would.
