LeBron James being perhaps the most divisive sports icon of the 21st century was definitely not on everyone’s bingo card in 2003. 22 years later and discourse over every decision he makes is a daily ordeal. Former Cavaliers teammate, Larry Nance Jr, was one such fan of LBJ’s who has now taken a 180 on his views regarding James.
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LBJ split his fans down the middle (50-50 is generous to be fair) when he decided to leave the Cavaliers for the Miami Heat in 2010. Nance Jr, an Akron native, was devasted, as were most Cleveland fans who took to the streets to burn his jersey.
“Yeah, absolutely,” said Larry when asked by WWE’s ‘The Miz’ on if he was upset at LeBron’s decision to leave. ‘The Miz’, being from Ohio, piggybacked off his sentiment, saying, “I was throwing things. I was so angry.”
This reaction was to be expected from two staunch Cavaliers fans. Larry Nance Jr however, got to experience something that no other Cavs fans at the time probably could: be LeBron’s teammate (2018 Cavs) in the future. This changed his perspective on James.
In the same interview with ‘The Miz’, he spoke on what separates Bron from the rest. “He’s the best on the team. He’s the best in the league but he’s still the first one in the gym and the last one to leave.”
This unwavering work ethic of James’ is one that has been lauded by several players who have played with him. Austin Reaves famously said, “He doesn’t skip days. It doesn’t matter if it’s an off day or not an off day. My whole goal in my rookie year was, ‘I’m just going to beat him to a game.’” Much to Reaves’ dismay, he never succeeded.
Aside from the constant training, Nance also credits the 4x MVP for how cerebral he is when on the court. “It’s the mind that really separates him.”
“They [Bron, Draymond, Chris Paul, etc] are just controlling every aspect of the game and you don’t realize it until you’re on a team with them. They’re directing and they’re barking orders, even when they’re on the bench.”
LeBron is undeniably Larry’s ‘GOAT’ and understandably so, given the connection to Cleveland. It’s quite heartwarming to see him go from a disgruntled Cavs fan to now, appreciating the Akron-born star and all his accomplishments.
