LeBron James has been in the NBA for so long that the generation that grew up idolizing him has begun to enter the NBA. Two of the most athletic players in the league, brothers, Amen and Ausar Thompson, were huge LeBron fans. Their love for the NBA’s all-time leading scorer was so strong that it forced them to scorn another superstar’s team in the process.
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The Thompson Twins were kids as LeBron James’ peaked. During the Miami Heat’s 2012 and 2013 NBA championships, they were 9 and 10 years old. Although they followed James closely then, it wasn’t until his second stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers that their fandom blossomed.
Ausar and Amen couldn’t believe how good LeBron was for his size. They dreamt of one day being as tall as the four-time NBA champion. Of course, there’s no physical workout to increase height. But anything they could do to believe in their head they’ll one day be like LeBron, they did.
“So we wanted to be tall. My mom’s like 5’6, my dad’s like 5’7,” Ausar said. “So we wrote 6’9 all over the bed because that’s how tall we wanted to be.”
In hindsight, the twins’ method didn’t achieve a 100% success rate as they both grew to 6-foot-7. That’s close enough, so they took the win and continued to follow LeBron. But while their allegiance was with LeBron, a large population’s allegiance was with another superstar in San Francisco.
Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry burst onto the scene at this time. Both brothers were immediately mesmerized by Curry, but that didn’t last long.
“I was a LeBron fan,” Amen said. “I actually liked the Warriors until they started playing LeBron. Then I’m like, ‘Okay, now I hate the Warriors.'”
It must’ve been a tough time for Amen Thompson during the late 2010s, considering LeBron and Curry battled in four straight NBA Finals. The Warriors star turned out to be the victor in 3 out of the 4 matchups. On the contrary, James’ sole Finals win over Curry came in the form of an iconic 3-1 comeback.
Regardless, LeBron could’ve had more championships under his belt if it weren’t for Curry and the Warriors. Rather cruelly, in a full circle moment, Curry and the Warriors were the culprits behind Amen’s first NBA playoffs elimination just a season ago.
