• Metta Sandiford-Artest has hit back at reports saying he physically intimidated LeBron James.
• James averaged 26.9 points, 6.8 assists, and 6.7 rebounds on 49% shooting in 21 games against Artest
• The former Defensive Player of the Year has put a stop to the unflattering remarks regarding James
The course of NBA history is written in the history books through objective lenses if you look at wins and numbers. But the narrative of the game and its players is so much more engaging that we often get lost in that.
Brian Windhorst recently claimed on ESPN that LeBron James used to be physically intimidated by Metta Sandiford-Artest, then known as Ron Artest. Artest has disputed that himself, citing James’ excellent numbers against him.
“King James dominated our meets on average with an 80% success rate. He was strong enough to keep up with my strength and he succeeded.”
@KingJames dominated our meets on average with a 80% success rate.
He was strong enough to keep up with my strength and he succeeded
— Coach Metta (@MettaWorld37) August 3, 2023
LeBron averaged 26.9 points, 6.8 assists, and 6.7 rebounds on 49% shooting against Artest while winning 13 of the 21 games the pair went head-to-head on.
The numbers are incontrovertible proof that James wasn’t deterred by the Artest matchup, though he could still have been intimidated and just worked through it.
LeBron James Has Rarely Been Intimidated
Physically intimidating a 6’9″ athletic freak like LeBron has to be next to impossible, though you could say James has previously been intimidated by moments.
The two best examples come with what happened to James during the 2011 Finals, where was completely unable to rise to the occasion. It is the only major blemish on James’ career, as that is the only Finals series his team was favorites to win that he lost out of his six career losses.
Another moment came in the 2013 Finals when James was caught on camera visibly upset when Kawhi Leonard checked into a game, who had done an incredible job guarding James for the entire Finals. Though James and Miami would win the 2013 Finals, Kawhi and the Spurs would win the 2014 title and end James’ run in Miami.
Outside of those two instances, James has stepped up to most major moments and on-court matchups while being exceedingly successful.
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