Skip to main content

Lakers News: LeBron James Explains Why Young Hoopers Bother "The F--- Out of Me"


Twenty-time NBA All-Star Los Angeles Lakers All-Star combo forward LeBron James has a bone to pick with the NBA's younger players. The 21-season league vet, who has spent more time playing in the NBA in his 39 years on this planet than not, took to Mind The Game, his brand-new podcast with former sharpshooting swingman J.J. Redick (who is the same age and long-since retired) to discuss an ethos to NBA games that bothers him to no end.

"Everyone now has a narrative of this thing called, 'I have a bag,' or 'He doesn't have a bag,'" James said. "It bothers the f--- out of me. Everyone thinks just because you get a favorable matchup that it means it's one-on-one time. 'Let's play ones.' That's all you hear the kids talk about now. ...

"What the f--- is this? This is not Jordan vs. Bird Nintendo. It's five-on-five, and yes, if you have an opportunity to have a favorable matchup and you can beat your man, but realize something. Most great teams are going to send help, and can you make the right reads? Can you instill confidence in your teammates to when you've scored twice in that favorable matchup, do you know that the double is coming? And you have to see it either coming from the tilt on the baseline or from the fire from the nail. You have to be ready for that."

LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers, the league's oldest player, handles the ball against GG Jackson #45 of the Memphis Grizzlies, the league's youngest player, during the first half at FedExForum on March... LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers, the league's oldest player, handles the ball against GG Jackson #45 of the Memphis Grizzlies, the league's youngest player, during the first half at FedExForum on March 27, 2024 in Memphis, Tennessee. James has a grievance with the next generation of hoopers. More Justin Ford/Getty Images

By "favorable matchup," James is referring to offensive players who find themselves with a size, strength or speed advantage in a defensive coverage situation. James, of course, is usually that exact player himself given his physical gifts, but he is famous for being a great distributor who earlier in his career was accused of being too deferential, if anything. This year, he's averaging 8.1 dimes a game.

"And it takes time for guys," James continued. "Some guys don't wanna learn and won't learn because they just wanna play ones. I've had guys on the court that literally said to me before, 'Why y'all doubling me? Stop doubling me, let me play ones.' 'You have 40! No, we're going to double you not only because you're great, but also I know none of your teammates have been in a rhythm all game, and we're going to see if they can make a shot.'"

It's a fascinating revelation. The fact that the next generation of great NBA talent wants to prioritize isolation ball over anything else is somewhat ominous.

Happily, however, there is still hope for the future. Some of the best young players in today's game are also some of its best passers. Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic is also one of the elite playmakers in the game, as is Dallas Mavericks combo guard Luka Doncic. Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has emerged as a leading MVP candidate this season along with those two more established stars, also sports solid passing instincts in addition to his gifts as a scorer.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

NBA Rumors: LeBron James' Son Bronny Is on Draft Boards of 'Multiple Teams'

Chris Coduto/Getty Images Bronny James' USC team has struggled this season, but that reportedly hasn't stopped the NBA interest in the son of legend LeBron James. "When I talk to people around the league, he's on the draft boards of multiple teams," Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported Thursday: Charania noted teams around the league believe he is "further along" on the defensive side of the ball than the offensive side, which makes performances like Wednesday's all the more important. The USC freshman finished with 11 points, six assists and five rebounds while shooting 5-of-11 from the field in one of his best offensive showings of the season in a loss to Arizona. The only game that he scored more points in was a Dec. 30 loss to Oregon State when he finished with 15 on 6-of-11 shooting from the field. Perhaps most importantly, James played a season-high 30 minutes against the Wildcats on Wedn...
Post a Comment
Read more

What Happened to the Rivalry Between LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony? - Bleacher Report

They were two young stars with unique and special abilities on the basketball court. They had recently played in a high-attention scholastic contest against each other. They were both selected in the same draft. The LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony rivalry was supposed to be the best individual rivalry since Magic and Bird. But while the relationship between Bird and Johnson is dramatized in a new Broadway play , Anthony and James will meet for the 15th time in their careers and do so without much fanfare. James and Anthony first met in a USA developmental camp in 2001 . Much like how Johnson raved about Bird after they played together on a college All-Star team playing in an international tournament, James couldn’t stop talking about Anthony. The two squared off in a high school showcase game the following year that pitted the player regarded as the best senior in the country (Anthony) against the one that was the best junior in the country (James), a game Anthony’s team wo...
Post a Comment
Read more

‘So You Think You Can Dance’ 18 episode 3 recap: In ‘Auditions: Day Three,’ one hopeful was like ‘the LeBron James of dance’

"So You Think You Can Dance" season 18 ended the first stage of the competition on Monday night, March 18, with the last dance hopefuls looking for a spot in the choreography round. So far the bar has been set pretty high by standout performances from dancers representing a variety of dance styles, shapes, sizes and ability levels. So who stood out among the last crop of contestants? Did the show save the best for last? "We've put 25 people through," said judge Allison Holker at the start of the show. She singled out contemporary dancer Braylon Browner and gymnast Dakayla Wilson as standouts from the first two days of auditions. Comfort Fedoke agreed that Wilson is capable of anything a professional choreographer could throw at her. Maksim Chmerkovskiy was especially impressed by contemporary dancer Easton Magliarditi . But "there's so many other things outside of dance that we're also looking at." More from GoldDerby SEE ...
Post a Comment
Read more