LeBron James response to criticism says it all about Los Angeles Lakers icon
NBA icon LeBron James sent a strong message regarding how his future would have played out if he did not join the Miami Heat.
On Tuesday, the 38-year-old travelled to Miami with the Los Angeles Lakers to face his former team. In the aftermath of the 108-107 defeat, the 19-time All-Star responded to a tweet recalling his comments that he'd still be dominant if he did not sign for the Heat in 2010.
In the tweet, he doubled down on his belief that he was always destined for greatness, and that his move to Miami wasn't make-or-break for his career. He said: “You damn right I would still be! I'm CHOSEN! Ain't nothing changing that! Maybe less [ring]'s but DOMINANT from start to finish.”
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This comment came on the back of the four-time NBA champion talking to ESPN about his time with the Heat on Monday. James won his first two championships with the Heat in 2012 and 2013 and claimed the Finals MVP award on both occasions. His spell with the Eastern Conference franchise propelled him into the pantheon of great NBA players.
Reflecting on what his time with the franchise meant to his storied career, James said: “I think I would still be at this level no matter if I would've came here or not. Let's not get it twisted: The four years I was here, it was amazing. I loved everything about it.
“Loved this franchise, this franchise is top tier, it's one of the best franchises in the world. But as far as my career, my career was going to be my career as far as individually, because I know how much I put into the game and I know how much I strived to be as great as I can be.
LeBron James won back-to-back NBA titles during his four years with the Heat (Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)“[But] as far as what I was able to learn here was second to none, that's for sure." By the time James left Miami to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2014, he had reached the Finals five times and was pivotal to the Heat’s 27-game winning run in 2012-13, the second-longest win streak in NBA history.
Explaining why he chose to leave Cleveland the first time and to go to Miami, the basketball icon’s answer was a simple yet profound one. "I came here for one reason and one reason only, and that was to win championships," James said. "That was my only goal.
“That was the only reason I teamed up with [Dwyane] Wade and [Chris] Bosh. Because I felt like I couldn't do it in Cleveland. We couldn't. I tried to recruit guys to come to Cleveland. I tried to go and help the upstairs and it wasn't happening. So I had an opportunity to be a free agent so I did what I thought was best, not only for my career but for me at that point in time."
Despite coming up short against the Heat on Tuesday, James scored 30 points. In his 21st season, he is currently averaging 35.9 minutes per game. While he is on the court, the Lakers’ offensive rating is 116.7 and it drops to 91.2 when he is on the bench.
Opponents score an average of 107 points with him on the court and that increases to 127.8 when he is not, making it a +46.2 differential. The Lakers sit tenth in the Western Conference and have managed to win just three of their first seven games of the season.
The team has lost all four of their road games so far. They can change that when they travel to Texas’ Toyota Center to take on the Houston Rockets in the early hours of November 9.
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