Richard Jefferson Reveals Why It 'Sucks' to be Teammates with LeBron James
LeBron James remains one of the best NBA players right now, but the 40-year-old superstar finds himself on shaky ground with the Los Angeles Lakers. Amid swirling NBA rumors about a potential exit, one of his former teammates has shed light on why it can be difficult to play with him.
On a recent episode of the Road Trippin’ podcast, ESPN analyst and former NBA player Richard Jefferson explained why it “sucks” to play with LeBron as a teammate.
“Playing with LeBron sucks because you’re trying to win a championship. He is one of the most competitive human beings in the history of American sports and sports in general. Does it suck when you’re showing up and he’s already been practicing for four hours and you’re like ‘oh s—.’ When he’s watching film and you mess up a play and he’s just like, ‘m—–f—er what are you doing?’”
Richard Jefferson on being teammates with LeBron James
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Jefferson can certainly speak from experience when it comes to being LeBron’s teammate. They played together from 2015–17 with the Cleveland Cavaliers, when the four-time NBA MVP was determined to deliver a championship for Ohio and end one of the longest championship droughts in sports.
That comes with a cost: the team needs to play at an extremely high level consistently, with players elevating their game around LeBron. It comes with added pressure, and LeBron pushed his teammates harder than anyone outside the organization knew. However, Jefferson noted it’s like that with all-time greats.
“Yeah, those are the cons. But there were cons for playing with Jordan, there were cons for playing with Kobe, there were cons for playing with players that were so great that they demanded excellence. There were cons for playing for Pat Riley or Popovich or Spoelstra. There’s always cons when you’re trying to win at the highest level.”
Richard Jefferson on how the cons of playing with LeBron James are like other NBA legends
Of course, all of that happened at a time when James was the center of the NBA and given a lot of control over what the Cavaliers’ organization did. Following the Luka Doncic trade, he doesn’t have that with the Lakers, and the organization is signaling that Doncic is the new face of the franchise.
At this point, the Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, and Dallas Mavericks are the teams known to have some interest in landing LeBron. However, no deal is imminent, and the limitations the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement puts on teams with the apron penalties of the luxury tax make a trade unlikely.
NFL, MLB & college football writer for Sportsnaut. Graduated from San Diego State University with BA in Journalism, 2019. ... More about Matt Johnson