LeBron James recently appeared on an episode of ‘Bob Does Sports,’ where he got a bit candid about his opinions on his own future and the nature of the choices he has to make in the league today.
He spoke about how he approaches regular season games and is day-to-day for the rest of his career. But in the process, he also took a shot at playing against the Grizzlies, especially in Memphis.
“Staying at the f——g Hyatt at 41 years old? You think I wanna do that s–t? Being in Memphis on a random Thursday?” said James in a candid conversation with the hosts.
“I’m not the first guy to talk about it in the NBA…You guys have to move. Go over to Nashville, you’ve got Vanderbilt, NASCAR, a stadium, a hockey team,” said James as he further explained why he advocates for the Grizzlies to move out of Memphis.
But his criticism did not stop there. When the host said that the Grizzlies fans should not be hopeful about LeBron James playing over there soon, James took an additional jab at the franchise.
“(Grizzlies) only chance [to have LeBron James on their team] was in 2003 if they had won the lottery to get me there, and I might’ve pulled an Eli Manning and not shown up.”
Players like Draymond Green and Anthony Edwards have already brought up logistical concerns with playing in Memphis on several occasions. James not only seems to agree with them but also has more reasons not to want to play in Memphis at this stage in his career.
Earlier in the season, Stephen A. Smith also claimed that NBA players like Jimmy Butler don’t feel safe about playing in Memphis due to the high crime rate.
The Lakers have played the Grizzlies thrice this season, twice in Los Angeles and once in Memphis. James did not play in Memphis in November, but played both the other games in Los Angeles.
He later spoke about his top three moments of his career, but also spoke on the show about what it is like to be playing at this age.
“When I wake up. I tell my teammates all the time, I go to sleep available, and I wake up doubtful. Every time I wake up, I go to bed. I am completely available for the game. And when I wake up. I’m fu*king doubtful every single time.”
From being plagued with health issues at the start of the season, the 41-year-old star has worked very hard to stay readily available on a day-to-day level.
LeBron James is defying all the odds of longevity in the NBA. That’s how much he loves basketball. And at this age, James has naturally become a bit picky about when and where he wants to play.
No one has ever played in the NBA at his age before; this is uncharted territory. Therefore, no one can imagine the problems James deals with daily, and no one would question if James personally decides to skip playing in Memphis for the rest of his career.
But does that warrant or justify such comments about a franchise and the shade he is throwing on Memphis as a city? Should the NBA look into why so many players are raising concerns about playing in Memphis? Let us know what you think in the comments section.
