LeBron James is arguably the defining basketball player of this generation. His impact on the last 20 years of basketball cannot be forgotten or ignored.
Recently a conversation around how fearful the thought of playing James has been going around. Gilbert Arenas has given his take, claiming LeBron isn’t even as scary an opponent as his contemporaries Damian Lillard and Stephen Curry.
“LeBron was an all-around player. Even though he gave you 40, it wasn’t the same 40 versus someone like Iverson, Kobe, or Michael Jordan. You didn’t fear the capability of what he was going to do to you. You did that with Jordan, Kobe, and AI. You feared what they were capable of doing. I am not afraid of the guy who’s going to give you 29-9-9. Steph and Dame too.”
"LeBron was an all-around player. Even though he gave you 40, it wasn't the same 40 vs someone like an Iverson, Kobe or Michael Jordan. You didn't fear the capability of what he was going to do."
Gilbert Arenas' hot take on "fear"
Via @GilsArena pic.twitter.com/hWZ5qSaAyI
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) March 22, 2023
To say that one 40-point performance is so drastically different from another that you don’t fear it is quite the take. Arenas saw his Eastern Conference playoff runs demolished by LeBron, with James literally intimidating him into bricking clutch free throws during James’ postseason debut in 2005.
Curry makes sense due to his absolutely lethal scoring ability coupled with his proven championship success. To fear Dame more than LeBron because he’s a more aggressive scorer isn’t an honest take, as Dame hasn’t won at the highest level like LeBron. LBJ literally ruined all hopes of Eastern Conference teams for almost a decade, so it shouldn’t even be comparable.
The Fear Factor Around LeBron James
Even if players didn’t fear the thought of playing LeBron, the coaching staff that would be creating the game plan definitely would. Multiple coaches have openly discussed that before.
Fearing a player like Kevin Durant or Stephen Curry more than LeBron makes sense due to their proficiency at the highest level and proven winning ability. But it’s not like James hasn’t shown incredible scoring chops to lead his teams to wins when most needed. He would not only score but impact the game in every facet to be the defining player of the last 20 years. If players didn’t fear that, that’s on them.
James’s play style doesn’t lend well to being feared. His pass-first mindset and his jump shot not being as lethal as KD’s or Steph’s definitely impact this perception. LBJ has done his talking on the court and definitely instilled fear in many of his opponents, but not in the same way as these other players have by virtue of how he plays.
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