LeBron James has often caught flak for his decision to pass the ball to an open teammate in clutch situations. In a recent podcast episode, James addressed the reason behind such decisions.
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has routinely been criticized for passing up the shot in the game’s biggest moments. However, the forward addressed these critiques and responded to them on an episode of “Mind The Game”.
“I realized that when I got into the NBA, I won three state championships in high school,” said James. “I thought it was something all NBA players did.”
The forward addressed that he couldn’t believe that several players in the league hadn’t won state championships or AAU national championships during their youth careers.
With this in mind, he added, “I absolutely was taught the game the right way. We all succeeded and had fun doing it. We found so much enjoyment in being able to play the game the right way.”
“I never averaged more than 30 points in high school,” he continued. “I could have averaged 50 points a game in my junior and senior years, but it was never about that. It was about how can I maximize my teammates, how can I get the most out of my teammates in order for all of us to be successful.”
“I felt like ultimately, in order for me to win in the pros, even though it’s a different level, I couldn’t give up the essence of what made me fall in love with the game that I was taught, even with the criticism.”
James addressed that this manner of critique followed him even in the latter part of his career, as recent as the 2020 NBA Finals against the Miami Heat. In a clutch situation in Game 5, James drew the attention of the Heat defense and passed the ball to the top of the key, resulting in an open look for Danny Green from three-point range.
Although Green’s shot missed the mark, James continues to defend that it was the right play to make in the situation.
Unfortunately, James’ decisions have always been a topic of debate in the media. Whether he opts to be selfish or selfless, the Lakers forward is consistently subjected to media scrutiny.
In more recent times, the 40-year-old found himself criticized for allegedly faking his injury claims at the end of the Timberwolves series. While there is very limited evidence to attest to this, the concerns regarding his injury were certainly felt by Lakers fans.
After seeing yet another campaign come to a disappointing end, James and the Lakers need to revisit their plans for the offseason. While the team has been a central figure in all offseason chatter, their future involving the forward remains a bit of a question mark.
There are some indications that the star will opt out of his contract and re-sign on a two-year, $105 million deal. While this is reassuring, it is detrimental to the team’s cap space.
Considering their aspirations to bring in star-caliber talent, or even just to build a championship roster, having James take up that much cap space may not be advisable in the long haul.
