LeBron James wasn’t demotivated by Larry Bird picking The Mamba over him
LeBron James took a huge hit to his image after the hype he unintentionally received after arriving in the NBA.
People were, are, and always will be debating where LeBron James ranks among the greatest basketball players of all time. To most, he’s right behind Michael Jordan, to some, he’s even behind Kobe Bryant, and to the rest, he’s the GOAT. Every two years of his 19-year NBA career he continues to add another perspective to that debate.
The man is approaching his 38th birthday and his 20th NBA season and is considering playing even another 4 or 5 years if his conditioning allows. That will surely further strengthen his case.
But looking back 10 years from now, it’s truly remarkable how the 4x champion has done what he has, not winning championships until his 9 years in the league.
LeBron James didn’t care that Larry Bird preferred Kobe Bryant over him if winning was the factor
In a fairly popular interview in February 2012, the Larry legend spoke with Bill Simmons about the BS report and said that James became his favorite player after years of Bryant holding that spot and that The King was the best in the league by far.
But he proceeded to say that he would rather play Kobe if he “wanted to win” James due to The Mamba’s continuing to say that he would play LeBron if he intended to have fun.
If you listen to just the last part, it’s pretty demeaning and that’s what the reporters presented James with. And even then, The King did not lose his cool and gave the most plausible answer.
Thus speaks greatness. Fast forward a few months James raised his first NBA championship in 2012, repeated in 2013, he won another (in 2016) after returning to the Cavaliers in 2014, and another in 2020 with the Lakers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsSVTG-gz_8
The 4x Finals MVP played in all but one Finals (9) in that decade and lived up to every expectation people had of him since he entered the league as a high school kid in 2003.
