LeBron James is one of the most polarizing players in NBA history. Fans either love him or hate him but that’s the price you have to pay when you’re considered one of the greatest players to ever set foot on a basketball court.
The King has carried this narrative that he’s acting like a player-GM whenever he gets to a new team and that has earned him more hate. It happened in Miami, it happened in Cleveland and it’s happening in Los Angeles. Udonis Haslem, a former teammate of Bron, has shed light on this situation, explaining that the 4x NBA champion has big standards for his teammates and if you don’t meet them, you need to find a new team (40:03).
“If you can handle LeBron coming to your team, it works out for you and it can be successful,” Haslem said in a recent interview on the Posecast podcast, as transcribed by Essentially Sports.
“The problem is: Everybody can’t handle it. When LeBron comes to your team, there’s winning expectations instantly. No waiting, no four or five-year process; there ain’t none of that. The pressure is on and the fire is on your a**. If they don’t win, if y’all don’t win, he ain’t the one that’s going to be out of there, it’s you. That’s what a lot of people can’t handle.”
Well, LeBron has won whenever he’s gone play. He won two titles in Miami, one in Cleveland (probably the hardest one he’s won in his career) and last year won his first one with the Lakers, to demonstrate he is still the best player in the world.
Haslem spent four years with the King and he knows very well what goes through his mind, what attitudes he doesn’t like, and more. There is a reason why he’s one of the biggest winners in the NBA. If you don’t aspire to match that mindset, it’s time to pack because you’re out of his team.
