LeBron James gave several juicy quotes throughout All-Star media availability, whether it was revealing that he hasn’t ruled out a return to the Cleveland Cavaliers or explaining that he would play for whatever team drafted his son Bronny James. In the same vein, LeBron had a lot of praise for a particularly influential figure in the NBA, sharing his admiration for the Oklahoma City Thunder’s GM, Sam Presti.
Presti is someone that has long been considered one of the best executives in the NBA, with his eye for drafting talent almost unmatched. At the start of his tenure, he drafted Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden in consecutive seasons. Even though the Thunder couldn’t capitalize by winning a championship, this brought a lasting period of success for them and a genuine championship window. It was his drafting prowess that LeBron gave a shoutout to, labeling him the MVP of the Thunder.
LeBron giving Sam Presti his flowers
(🎥 @BenGolliver) pic.twitter.com/D9MgbhgISt
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) February 19, 2022
“The MVP over there is Sam Presti… I don’t understand this guy’s eye for talent. He drafted KD, Russ, Jeff Green, Serge Ibaka, Reggie Jackson, Josh Giddey. … This guy is pretty damn good.”
This is high praise for Presti coming from the King himself, with Josh Giddey also earning a mention thanks to his impressive rookie performances. There was a notable absentee from LeBron’s list in this situation though, with the King somehow omitting James Harden. NBA fans were quick to notice this and called it out on Twitter after the quote went viral.
Dennis Rodman Burner: “What about Harden????”
mhc_76: “Harden hate is getting out of control.”
Akeem GFA: “LBJ don’t mess with Harden?”
Matt Yoskowitz: “Bro what’s good with the Harden slander?”
K7Jonny: “Mans basically said f**k Harden.”
Roeiss: “And James Harden, but yeah.”
Enigma: “Nah he ain’t dub Harden like that.”
Considering the wealth of picks at the Thunder and Presti’s disposal in the coming seasons, the possibility of the franchise drafting Bronny James is quite high, so this praise from LeBron has raised some eyebrows. In any case, the King is objectively right, there are not many in the league with Presti’s eye for talent. If he can build another contender out of the picks he has now and can build a roster that wins the championship down the line, he will surely be appreciated even more by NBA fans.
