“First person to call me”: 2x NBA Champ Opens Up About LeBron James Recruiting Him After Warriors Exit

Only a few athletes can boast about sharing a court with their idols and favorite players. With his longevity, LeBron James has given that opportunity to many players over the years. One such athlete is Quinn Cook, who not only considers him his boyhood idol but after spending some years with LeBron, he sees him as his big brother. During a recent appearance on the ‘Captain Jack Podcast’, Cook talked about how the Lakers superstar recruited him.

In his 2015 NBA draft, Cook wasn’t picked by any team. However, he joined the Cleveland Cavaliers and OKC that same year for the Las Vegas Summer League and the Orlando Summer League respectively. His shot at glory came when the Dallas Mavericks recruited him in 2017 and since then, he laced up for four other teams before closing his NBA chapter in 2021 with the Cavs.

In a short-lived NBA career, Cook won two championships, and his first title with the Warriors opened up the gates for him to bag the second one with the Lakers.

He said that during his first stint with the Cavs, he and LeBron got along very well, and as a veteran of the game, LBJ took good care of him. The two-time NBA Champion added that since LBJ was the big brother in this equation, he bought Quinn his first suit and watch.

Cook also talked about how he regularly visited LeBron at his home and watched Bronny and Bryce James grow up in front of him. Even when Cook left the Cavs, he and his big brother stayed in touch and when he was released from the Warriors in 2019, LBJ made sure that he brought him into the Lakers camp.

He said, “When I left the Warriors, he was the first person to call me to recruit me to come to the Lakers…we joined forces with him and those two years in LA was great ’cause I was with him every single day.” No doubt the Kings left an impact on a young Cook. Being a veteran of the team, LBJ fulfilled his responsibility of leading the squad and showing the way to the young future.

LeBron James managed the Lakers during the Covid bubble

The March 2020 event was a great leveler for the world as everyone across the globe was equally puzzled by the pandemic. At that time, the Lakers were in great form but unfortunately, everything came to a standstill. Cook said that it was LeBron figuring things out for the entire team and that he was constantly on calls with NBA executives.

He said, “We was having secret practices at Sierra Canyon…working out and stuff. Obviously, the coaches couldn’t do it but Bron was running everything.” It must’ve been the efforts from LeBron that allowed his team to push harder than the opponents in the league and the Lakers ended up winning the NBA title that year.

Keeping the team motivated at a time when there were no fans in the arena was truly a great feat and LBJ proved his leadership in such situations. Many like Cook have learned a lot from the King and it certainly helped them in a postivie way.