The NBA, just like most other sports, is dominated by big-market teams. Today, cities like New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, and Philadelphia are considered the most popular destinations for players and fans alike, while the other teams can often get overlooked. As a former member of the Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron James has a lot of experience playing for small-market teams, and he recently reflected on the experience in the latest episode of the ‘Mind the Game’ podcast.
“I played in Cleveland for 11 years and we were a small market,” said James. I just think it’s all about the storylines, it’s about what people can say on TV and create these Superman vs. Batman or DC Comics vs. Marvel. When it comes to the game of basketball, it doesn’t matter who’s representing who, it’s about two great teams. We talked previously in a lot of our episodes, and we praise a lot of individuals, and rightfully so. We have unbelievable individuals in our sport over the years who have done great things and have put themselves in a position to be talked about. But one thing we cannot disrespect is great teams. We can’t disrespect the 2003 Detroit Pistons with Chauncey, Rip, Tayshaun, Ben, Rasheed, and the rest of that group. These are teams that are completely put together. You can disrespect the 2019 Toronto Raptors with Fred VanVleet, Kawhi, and Pascal. That’s a great team; you look at that roster like that’s a great team.”
The Cavaliers were an afterthought in the NBA before LeBron’s arrival. They were near the bottom of the league in attendance and had achieved almost no playoff success. But when LeBron joined the team (in 2003 and then again in 2014), they instantly became one of the league’s featured franchises with regular spots on national television and being a frequent topic of conversation in the media as they won a championship in four straight Finals trips.
LeBron made the Cavs popular at the time in a way that no other superstar could. Unlike most of his peers, LeBron controls the spotlight, and it follows him everywhere. It’s part of the reason why he isn’t as worried about market size or franchise popularity, and he doesn’t believe those factors should take away from any team’s coverage or narrative. This year, the conversation on big market vs small market seems especially relevant with the Thunder and Pacers representing the East and West in the Finals. While it’s not a matchup the fans were hoping for, LeBron still says that everyone should respect and appreciate their journey, given how difficult it was to pull off.
“So we have this Indiana-OKC situation, and these are two great teams. And if you’re a basketball fan and you love our game, you can learn so much from watching the way both of those teams play,” said James on the podcast. “Yes, you have your favorite players or favorite colors, and there’s something to that. But if we’re just talking about the purity of the game and the sport, these are two teams that play the game the right way. And you love to see it. And even after that, they f**king earned it. They’ve been through the trenches, and injuries happen and things of that nature, but at the end of the day, you’ve still gotta show up and play the game. The game is won between the four lines. If someone’s injured, you can’t just forfeit because you have your players. You still have to play the game. Indiana’s been playing great basketball, and OKC has been doing this all year. And I think it’ll be a great Finals to watch. I love the game, so I’ll be in attendance.”
LeBron is currently playing for the NBA’s highest-market team (Los Angeles Lakers) but even when he played for the Cavaliers, he never let it impact his effort or commitment to winning. In the same way, he’s not letting the market size of the matchup take away any respect he has for the teams left.
Just like the Cavaliers earned their time in the spotlight, the Thunder and Pacers have earned theirs this season, and James wants to do his part to ensure they are being properly celebrated and acknowledged for their amazing feat. For LeBron, he just wants to appreciate great teams regardless of where they are located or how they came to be.
