LeBron James has played against a lot of incredible players in his 22 seasons in the NBA, but the best one he’s ever guarded is someone who didn’t even make it to the league. James named Derrick Tarver as his toughest assignment, and the former University of Akron guard reacted to the compliment on Instagram.
“My back hurts just thinking about playing you in ones LeBron James. U gotta play yo nephew (DJ).”
It would appear James proved to be a handful for Tarver as well when they were growing up in Akron, despite being over four years younger than him. That tells you how special the Los Angeles Lakers superstar was from a young age.
It’s often talked about how James excels at bully ball because of his strength, but he used to be on the receiving end in his younger days. He stated that Tarver was stronger than everybody when he was 10 years old. You knew what he was going to do, but you couldn’t stop him, which is what we have often said about James.
James also added that Tarver would claim he could still cook him if they played each other today. The 45-year-old didn’t go down that route, but he would like to see the NBA icon play against his son, Derrick Tarver Jr.
The younger Tarver is part of the class of 2034 and was recognized as the top-ranked third-grade player in the U.S., according to his Instagram profile. Perhaps he might someday accomplish what his father couldn’t, getting into the NBA.
Getting back to James and the older Tarver, the former did respond to the latter’s comment on Instagram.
“We had more than enough battles growing up for damn sure!”
Tarver wouldn’t go on to become a household name like James. He actually played at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School as well and then opted to go to the University of Akron.
In the summer of 2002, though, Tarver’s twin brother Darren suffered a heart attack, which ended his basketball career. That incident led to authorities at Akron’s athletic department growing concerned about their young guard’s health.
Tarver had a defibrillator implanted in his chest in October 2002 and was medically cleared to play just days before the Zips’ opener. The 6’4″ guard would go on to impress at the collegiate level despite that, averaging 21.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 0.7 steals per game over two seasons.
Tarver declared for the 2004 NBA Draft after his senior year, but went undrafted. An opportunity did seem to come his way to potentially make the league when James’ Cleveland Cavaliers added him to their Summer League roster in 2005.
Unfortunately, Tarver didn’t seem to do enough to warrant a lot of time on the court. He played just 18 minutes over four games and scored two points.
Tarver wasn’t picked up by the Cavaliers and proceeded to head overseas to continue his professional basketball career. He has retired now, but his childhood friend is still going strong.
James stated that retirement is coming, but he’s not at that point just yet. The 40-year-old averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.2 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game for the Lakers in 2024-25.
