Richard Jefferson On How LeBron James Treats His Teammates: “You Never Get A Moment Of Acceptance”

Richard Jefferson reveals how LeBron James treats his teammates differently, depending on his relationship with them.

3 Min Read

Credit: Fadeaway World

LeBron James is widely considered one of the best teammates to have on your team. If you can block out the noise that comes with being James’ teammate, then you are most likely going to see a great improvement in your own game when James is on your team. 

Not just because of the dominance he has in his performance, but his passing vision and playmaking IQ are so exceptional that if he trusts you, he will find a way to make the ball reach you in a place where you have the best shot available. 

But all of this is dependent on how you are able to showcase your abilities to James and gain his trust in you as a person. At least that is what Richard Jefferson, the former NBA champion who won his first title with LeBron James on the Cavaliers in 2016, said about having James as a teammate. 

Jefferson appeared on the Road Trippin Podcast with Kendrick Perkins and Channing Frye and explained LeBron James’ relationship with Frye in simple words. Before joining the Lakers in the summer of 2018, James was teammates with Jefferson and Frye on the Cavaliers.   

“Bron, I don’t think ever truly respected you on the basketball court. I think his respect for you as a human being as a person, that’s where he f—king rides with you,” explained Jefferson.

“If he doesn’t f**k with you as a human being, then it’s kind of okay, ‘We’re just teammates.’…You never get a moment of acceptance from Bron. He looks at you like you did your job…So I respect the fact that I can trust you to do your job. If Bron can trust you to do your job, he will f**k with you till the end of the day.”

What Jefferson was trying to say is that James’ respect for a lot of his teammates was dependent on multiple factors. On the court, it was how well they played their role on the team and what versatility they brought to the game plan for James. 

Off the court, however, James was a different judge of character. Players like Danny Green have accepted in the past that it can be tough to be LeBron James’ teammate off the court, because of the noise and pressure that comes with it.

While some may buckle and fold under that pressure, most good players find a way to focus on what Bron brings to the court and not what is being said off the court about them. There are other ways to gain James’ respect for people who are not his teammates. But James expects excellence from his teammates and the innate ability to deal with high-pressure situations. 

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Chaitanya Dadhwal is an NBA Analyst and Columnist at Fadeaway World from New Delhi, India. He fell in love with basketball in 2018 after seeing James Harden in his prime. He joined the sports journalism world in 2021, one year before finishing his law school in 2022. He attended Jindal Global Law School in Sonipat, India, where his favorite subject was also Sports Law.He transitioned from law to journalism after realizing his true passion for sports and basketball in particular. Even though his journalism is driven by his desire to understand both sides of an argument and give a neutral perspective, he openly admits he is biased towards the Houston Rockets and Arsenal. But that intersection of in-depth analysis and passion helps him simplify the fine print and complex language for his readers.His goal in life is to open his own sports management agency one day and represent athletes. He wants to ensure he can help bridge the gap in equal opportunity for athletes across various sports and different genders playing the same sport.
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