In 2026, LeBron James is one of the most beloved players in the league. However, that was far from the case throughout his entire career. When James decided to join the Miami Heat, he became arguably the most hated player in NBA history.
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This was a drastic change from the treatment he had received during his first tenure with the Cleveland Cavaliers. After all, he was the hometown star who finally brought life into the Cavs.
To go from the darling of the league to the most hated isn’t an easy adjustment, but it wasn’t something completely foreign to James.
“As much as Batman is my favorite superhero, I also love the Joker’s role,” James said on the Mind the Game podcast. “We want to go out and have fun, get our guys involved, smile, be happy because that brings us joy. But we can tap into the Joker role if y’all make us now.”
Every person would love to receive praise for their abilities, no matter if they are a regular person or LeBron James. However, with the 4 time NBA champion, his will to win far exceeds his desire for fans to love him.
Thankfully for James, he wasn’t the first person to go through a metamorphosis from hero to villain. The character arc of Hulk Hogan’s time in the WWE played a huge role in helping LeBron accept the role fans bestowed upon him.
“At one point, everyone loved [Hulk Hogan]. Then one day, he went to nWo, and people couldn’t understand how he tagged up with the enemy. Everybody just booed him,” James said.
Regardless of how upset fans were at Hogan, he still pulled in serious crowds and made tons of money. Of course, he would later turn face and got bigger pops from the crowd than before.
LeBron experienced a similar shift once he returned to the Cavaliers. He quickly became loved by the masses once again. The cherry on top was when he pulled off a 3-1 comeback against the Golden State Warriors.
Being a villain is essential to the sports world. Someone has to do it. Great villains make for the best stories; stories that fans can get behind. Thankfully, more players like Dillon Brooks understand that now.
