LeBron James just came off the bench for only the second time in his career, returning early from a tendon injury that threatened to keep James out for the rest of the season.
The first time James came off the bench was against the Indiana Pacers in December 2007. The reason for that was arguably one of the noblest things James did as a teammate, as he wanted to protect Anderson Varejao from getting booed.
“I thought it would raise the intensity of the fans, having me, Larry (Hughes) and Andy (Anderson Varejao) come into the game at the same time – and it worked. I thought by coming in with Andy, might stop some of the boos Andy might get. (I was) just protecting my teammates.” (h/t Business Insider)
Varejao was making his season debut after a contentious contract holdout with the Cavaliers. LeBron and Larry Hughes decided to ensure Varejao didn’t get booed by coming off the bench with him as a show of support. Protecting teammates at the age of 22 isn’t something we see many young stars do, but LeBron James was a truly unique superstar even 16 years ago.
LeBron James Couldn’t Lead The Lakers To A Win Off The Bench
When James came off the bench to support Varejao, his Cavaliers still picked up a win in that game. That wasn’t the case last night, as the Bulls managed to overwhelm the Lakers’ defense and comfortably outscore them for most of the night. James ended up leading the Lakers in scoring with 19 after his 30-minute appearance off the bench.
LeBron and the Lakers will hope they have better luck in their next outing against the Bulls, as every loss puts them further away from their dream of being the 6th seed. The team also has the 6th highest odds of winning the title this season after James’ returned, so they’ll be looking to maximize their opportunity this season by pushing to the max until their season ends.
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