LeBron James is often accused of having created superteams to win, with many pointing to his decision to join Miami in 2010 as a moment that changed the league for the worse. James has become the face of the player empowerment era and when Kevin Durant made his move to the Golden State Warriors, for example, some said it was thanks to the precedent James had set with Wade and Bosh.
Now, as KD and Kyrie Irving are in the thick of the offseason drama and trying to engineer moves away from the Brooklyn Nets though, a key difference has been noted between them and LeBron. Robin Lundberg, who covers the NBA for Sports Illustrated, tweeted pointing out exactly what makes LeBron James different from the stars that have been moving away to join other good teams lately.
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) July 4, 2022
“LeBron never demanded a trade, finished all his contracts, and won a title for every team he signed with.”
This feels like shade thrown at KD, who has requested a trade from the Nets despite having 4 years left on his contract. And if he does leave Brooklyn, it will not only be without an NBA title but also without having ever made it past the 2nd round of playoffs.
LeBron left Cleveland the first time around as a free agent without having won a championship, but he returned as the hometown hero and delivered one. He also took the team to the Finals 4 seasons in a row, a better run than they have ever enjoyed in their history. Despite a couple of seasons missing the playoffs with the Lakers as well, he’s won a title in Los Angeles and he won 2 in Miami.
Multiple superstars are required to win in the NBA more often than not, so it’s understandable if great players leave bad situations. However, with Kevin Durant, in particular, the Nets gave him everything he wanted and he still wants to leave. So comparing that to LeBron James would be quite disingenuous, as Lundberg has pointed out.
