LeBron James is seen by many as the superstar who “befriends” everyone and has very few enemies, in the league as in everyday life. Yet in 2015, the King made it very clear: his number of true friends in the NBA could be counted on the fingers of one hand.
LeBron James isn’t really the type to make enemies on the pitch, quite the contrary. Unlike some previous generations, the King has always taken pleasure in complimenting and advising young stars, even among his rivals. He knows he won’t be forever, so he takes the time to pass on some of his knowledge to the hopes of tomorrow.
But beware, contrary to popular belief, LeBron James does not like everyone. Well, at least, he doesn’t like everyone the same way. In 2015 for example, the King spoke about the nature of his relationship with other NBA players. At the time, everyone accused him of not making an effort to integrate Kevin Love, and of not having a friendly relationship with his interior newly arrived from Minnesota. An episode that has also deeply marked K-Love.
At that time, faced with all the media accusations, the King’s response had been scathing … and quite surprising too:
LeBron James : People are so emotionally invested in these “best friend” stories and all these other things… But first of all, you have to know that I only have three close friends in the NBA: Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, and Dwyane Wade!
After these three, I only have teammates. But these guys are what I get up every morning and work for. Without talking about it too much, Kyrie Irving knows how important he is to this team. Kevin Love also knows he is important to us.
Obviously this small group is very close, it is not for nothing that they are called the “Banana Boat Crew”, in reference to those famous holidays spent with their companions.
5 years ago today, the Banana Boat crew was revealed to the world. ????????
(????: @SplashNews, h/t @espn) pic.twitter.com/5MhSdlx9Tu
— theScore (@theScore) July 7, 2020
They’ve all come together since high school, and have never really left each other. On the other hand, it’s hard to believe that LeBron James really only has three friends in the NBA. Since 2015 and this declaration, he has had plenty of time to meet new people, like Anthony Davis or Alex Caruso, with whom he gets along very, very well.
LeBron James is obviously a heart of stone. No matter what successes and hardships he has gone through, he will never see his teammates other than as colleagues … Apart from the three privileged children who are Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul.
