LeBron James has shared the court with some elite basketball players and they would all say playing alongside him makes the game easy for them.
His passing ability and IQ are great, but additionally he is also one of the best players in the game and can take control whenever he wants.
The four-time champion has won a ring with every team he has played for and that is a unique achievement.
However, one of LeBron James‘ former teammates on the LA Lakers also managed to do that and has spoken about the pressure the player’s fans put on him.
Danny Green and James were part of the Lakers team that won the championship in 2020.
A year after winning his second ring with the Toronto Raptors, Green joined the Lakers and was a pivotal part of helping them win their 17th championship.
However, he faced a lot of criticism in the playoff run for missing a few clutch shots from James’ fans, who trolled the player personally during the difficult run.
Although Green stated playing with the 21-time-All-Star made the game easy, it was the player’s fans who put the added pressure.
“He made the game very easy, there are times where it’s not as easy because there’s so much pressure, even if you’re wide open, to execute the play because you’re playing with LeBron James,” said Green.
He also added: “And that’s more so on the outside than it is on the inside cause Bron ain’t putting the pressure on you, but all the LeBron fans are like, ‘Who’s this bum? Why is he playing, he can’t make a damn shot.’
“You know what I’m saying? So, it’s a gift and a curse, but he made the game easy, man.”
Green was drafted into the NBA by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2009, but the team waived him after 20 games.
Although he did not get to spend much time with James in his rookie season, Green stated it was great to be teammates with the player later on in his career.
He said: “It was a lot of fun learning from him early on, a lot of fun playing against him and then even better to play with him, and then it was the bubble, but winning the championship with him.
“It was great, man, so I couldn’t ask for a better scenario.”
The three-time champion shared some big words of appreciation for James, but Green said the Lakers could not win a championship with him and Luka Doncic as the star duo.
However, this was because he felt that James was the best player on the Lakers and a team could not win a championship with a 40-year-old as one of the stars.
Rob Pelinka has already outlined the priorities of the Lakers for the offseason, and although it might mean they would lose a few of their valuable assets like Austin Reaves or Rui Hachimura, the team needs to do their best to maximize the brilliance of James, while he still plays.
