LeBron James – Would still be same player without Miami stint،
MIAMI — With his former team’s “Heat Culture” slogan painted on the half-court in front of him as he rested on a base seat following Monday’s shooting, LeBron James reflected on what his time with the franchise meant meant to his career which now spans more than two decades.
“I think I would still be at this level regardless of whether I came here or not,” said the Los Angeles Lakers star, now in his 21st season. “Let’s make no mistake: the four years I spent here were incredible. I loved everything. I loved this franchise, this franchise is top-tier, it’s one of the best franchises in the world.
“But as far as my career goes, my career was going to be my individual career, because I know how much I put into the game and I know how much I strived to be as good as I could be. [But] as far as what I was able to learn here was second to none, that’s for sure.
James was 25 when he arrived in South Beach in 2010. He had no championships, two MVPs and an NBA Finals appearance under his belt in his first seven seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers. By the time he left Miami in 2014, he had increased that total to two titles, four MVPs, five trips to the Finals and two Finals MVPs, and he was instrumental in the Heat’s 27-game winning streak. in 2012-13 – the second longest winning streak in league history.
“I came here for one reason and that was to win championships,” James said. “That was my only goal. That’s the only reason I partnered with [Dwyane] Wade and [Chris] Displays. Because I felt like I couldn’t do it in Cleveland. We could not. … I tried to recruit guys to come to Cleveland. I tried to go help the people upstairs and it didn’t work. So I had the opportunity to be a free agent, so I did what I thought was best, not only for my career but for me at that time. »
James said it was a formative time in his life, not just his career, as he uprooted himself from the only home he had ever known in Northeast Ohio to settle in South Florida.
“It was a culture change for me,” James said. “People talk about ‘Heat Culture,’ it was a culture shift, period. I was changing everything in my life for the first time in my life. Being able to be here and being able to learn and be alongside D-Wade. , UD [Udonis Haslem] and Spo [Erik Spoelstra] — these guys who had already won it — it was really great to be a part of, that’s for sure.”
Miami will don its City Edition uniforms when it hosts the Lakers, with “Heat Culture” stitched onto the jerseys to complement the specialty court it will play on that includes a message painted in capital letters in the lane: “Hardest Work. Best conditioned. Most professional. Most selfless. Toughest. Baddest. Baddest team in the NBA.
James, who placed the Heat on a short list of what he considers the model franchises in all sports – including the Lakers and San Antonio Spurs in the NBA and the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots in the NFL – said it was a strong team. culture can only exist if players buy into it.
“Obviously it starts at the top, but ultimately it’s the guys who are in the locker room holding the guys accountable,” he said. “You can make the message come from the top, but if guys don’t respect it or double down on it in the locker room, then apply it on the field and apply it off the field and be model citizens, or whatever. maybe, then it still doesn’t matter.
This wasn’t the first time James mentioned the Steelers this season. When the Lakers began their road trip with a 120-101 loss to the Orlando Magic on Saturday to fall to 3-3, he compared Los Angeles’ early-season seesaw to Pittsburgh’s performance.
“We’re like the Pittsburgh Steelers right now,” James said. “The Pittsburgh Steelers have not outscored or dominated any of their opponents this season yet, and yet they have a winning record.”
Indeed, Pittsburgh is 5-3 but has been outscored 163-133 overall and has racked up 2,228 yards on offense while allowing 3,018 yards on defense. Likewise, the Lakers are averaging .500, but they were outscored by 61 points in the first quarter – the worst six-game point differential by a team since the Detroit Pistons in 1964-65. LA also ranks 29th in 3-point percentage (29.7%) and 28th in 3-point catch-and-shoot percentage and wide-open 3-point percentage, according to data compiled from Second Spectrum.
