Category: Latest LeBron News

Enes Freedom attacks LeBron James, calls him the dictator of the NBA

Former NBA big man Enes Freedom had some very harsh words for Lakers superstar LeBron James.

LeBron James is one of the greatest players in basketball history, but he has also become polarizing over the last several years. While he continues to have his legion of fans who almost worship him, he also has lots of critics who harangue him, often in a hyperbolic fashion, for a number of things.

Former NBA big man Enes Freedom has been one of James’ harshest critics over the last few years. In the fall of 2019, he blasted the Los Angeles Lakers superstar for comments that were made about protestors in Hong Kong, and the other day, he was at it again.

He called James “the dictator of the NBA” while claiming that if someone goes “against his agenda,” that player will be traded. He also claimed that no one wants to play on the same team as James — other than his son Bronny.

Via Lakers Daily:

“He (the younger James) might be a good dude, but he’s not good enough to play in the NBA,” Freedom said. “The reason he got drafted is because of LeBron. The reason J.J. Redick is the coach is because of LeBron.”

The former big man also claimed the elder James always finds a scapegoat when a season isn’t successful.

“No other player wants to go play with LeBron,” Freedom said. “You had so many other free agents. … No one wanted to go play with him, because they know that it’s all about LeBron. They’re gonna get zero clout. … When the Lakers’ season fails, LeBron tries to find a player to blame, and he blamed the whole season on Russell Westbrook, so he is not a good teammate. Obviously, he runs the media, and he tries to control this narrative, but when you actually know and have a conversation inside of the NBA and its players, nobody wants to play with him.

“… When I see a dictator, I know it – LeBron is literally like the dictator of the NBA. He controls the media. He controls his narrative. If you go against his agenda, you get traded. Everybody knows it.”

There is certainly a feeling around the NBA that the younger James is a member of the Lakers only because of his father’s influence, whether it is true or not. He has struggled during summer league play so far, going just 7-of-31 from the field and 0-of-15 from 3-point range in four games.

The Lakers literally haven’t signed or traded for a single outside player so far this summer, other than the younger James and first-round draft pick Dalton Knecht. It has led to general manager Rob Pelinka being criticized yet again for what people see as roster mismanagement.

Bronny James puts LeBron James at the top of his five favorite players list

Bronny James named his five favorite NBA players, and there was no surprise about who came in first on his last.

While some are optimistic about Bronny James’ chances of becoming a good player in the NBA, others feel the only reason the Los Angeles Lakers even drafted him was because of nepotism.

His father, of course, is LeBron James, who is going into his 22nd NBA season. The younger James seems to have real defensive potential, but he’s bound to continue to receive criticism no matter how much he develops in the coming months.

He was asked to name his five favorite NBA players in order from first to fifth, and his father topped the list. Stephen Curry, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, Anthony Edwards and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (he had Edwards and Gilgeous-Alexander tied for fifth) filled the other spots on his list.

The younger James has gotten off to a poor start in summer league play, as he has gone a combined 6-of-26 from the field and 0-of-12 from 3-point range. He will have another opportunity to show his doubters he’s a legitimate prospect when the summer Lakers take on the Boston Celtics on Monday.

Kevin Garnett: LeBron James could play 10 more seasons in a Draymond Green-type role

Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett thinks LeBron James could have plenty of NBA basketball left in him if he embraces a supporting role.

Team USA took the floor for the first time this year in an actual game when it played against Canada in an exhibition contest on Wednesday. It won easily, 86-72, and it spread the wealth around offensively.

While LeBron James was involved in several highlight plays, he mostly kicked back and let others do lots of the heavy lifting. He finished with seven points, five rebounds, three assists, three steals and one blocked shot in 19 minutes of playing time.

It is the type of stat line that Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors has put up with regularity for the past decade, and it had Kevin Garnett declaring on X (formerly Twitter) that James could play 10 more seasons if he adopted such a role (h/t Ahn Fire Digital).

Some have questioned the wisdom of James committing this summer to Team USA when he has an insane amount of wear and tear on his body from 21 NBA seasons. But on the other hand, Team USA has one of its most talented rosters ever, which should allow James to carry a very light workload.

Even at age 39, James has shown very little slippage, both in terms of athleticism and production. He’s coming off a season in which he averaged 25.7 points, 8.3 assists and 7.3 rebounds a game while shooting 54% overall and 41% from 3-point range.

If he remains healthy, he could possibly transition into more of a supporting role such as the one Green has embraced. But one has to wonder if James would even be willing to do so, both in terms of taking a major hit to his statistical output and simply putting in that many seasons in the NBA.

Team USA’s exhibition schedule — dates, times and how to watch

Find out when and where to watch LeBron James and Anthony Davis tune up for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

Even though it is early July, Los Angeles Lakers fans will have plenty of basketball to enjoy watching over the next few weeks or so.

The Lakers will continue the California Classic with one more game on Wednesday versus the Miami Heat. Then on Friday, they begin their main summer league schedule in Las Vegas when they take on the Houston Rockets.

Meanwhile, LeBron James and Anthony Davis, along with many other NBA stars and superstars, are gearing up for a run at the gold medal in this year’s Summer Olympics. Team USA has completed training camp, and it will begin its exhibition schedule on Wednesday with a contest versus Canada.

The full exhibition schedule includes five games and will last for nearly two weeks. Each game will be televised on either Fox or Fox Sports 1.

The opening ceremony for the 2024 Olympics takes place on July 26. Two days later, Team USA will have its first official game when it competes against Serbia.

LeBron James was voted best player in Team USA training camp

Even after all these years, LeBron James continues to shine brightly among his superstar peers.

Over the last couple of days, people have been talking about 17-year-old Cooper Flagg and the show he put on as a member of the Select Team while scrimmaging against Team USA.

The 6-foot-8 forward, whom many believe will be the No. 1 pick in next year’s draft and will be attending Duke University in the meantime, dominated the grown men who are preparing to head to Paris for this year’s Summer Olympics.

Yet, there was still no doubt that during Team USA’s training camp, the best player was a familiar name who has dominated the NBA for long stretches over the last 20 years — LeBron James.

Via The Athletic:

“Seventeen-year-old Duke phenom Cooper Flagg might have been the surprise star of Team USA training camp, but the real plot twist was that an NBA legend more than twice his age, 39-year-old LeBron James, was the best,” wrote Joe Vardon and Sam Amick.

“James, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer who is months away from the start of his 22nd season, was voted the top national team player in camp in a straw poll of Olympic camp participants conducted by The Athletic.”

At least one teammate was amazed that after all these days, James still seems to be at or near the top of his game.

“That’s what I told my brother after the first day, I was like dude’s 40 and he’s the best player on the court,” said Amen Thompson, a forward for the Houston Rockets and a voter in the poll, due to his participation in camp as a select team member.

This past NBA season, James put up 25.7 points, 8.3 assists and 7.3 rebounds a game while shooting 54% from the field and 41% from 3-point range for the Los Angeles Lakers. He has shown little, if any, slippage, and armed with a new two-year contract, he could very well continue to be an elite player for one or even two more seasons.

Team USA coach Steve Kerr is impressed with how hard LeBron James practices

Even after all these years and accomplishment, LeBron James still works like a madman when it comes to his craft.

After someone has been in the same profession for many years and has accomplished almost as much as there is to accomplish there, he or she may have a hard time keeping up the motivation to work hard every day.

It is human nature to suffer some sort of complacency or letdown at that point, especially when one also has all the money one needs for an entire lifetime.

But even after 21 NBA seasons, four NBA championships and more points than anyone else in league history, LeBron James has maintained an impressive work ethic. He has done an admirable job of keeping his body right, and that has allowed him to continue to play at a high level even at age 39.

He is currently training with Team USA as it prepares for the Summer Olympics. Team USA is looking to bring back the gold medal to the United States after a poor showing in last year’s FIBA World Cup in which it didn’t even earn a bronze medal.

After the squad’s first practice, head coach Steve Kerr, who has seen his Golden State Warriors teams go up against James six times in postseason play, was impressed with how hard James continues to practice after all these years.

Via NBC Sports Bay Area:

“I was blown away by how hard he practices,” Kerr said Saturday after Team USA’s first training camp practice at UNLV (University of Nevada, Las Vegas). “And I went to [assistant coach Ty Lue] and [assistant coach Erik Spoelstra] and I said, ‘Is this normal?’ They said, ‘Every day, every day.’ To Spo I said, ‘What about way back when you got him?’ Spo said, ‘Every day. Every drill, every walkthrough.’”

Lue and Spoelstra are obviously very familiar with James. Spoelstra coached the superstar for four seasons with the Miami Heat, while Lue guided him to an NBA championship in 2016 with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

James is teaming up with fellow Los Angeles Lakers superstar Anthony Davis, as well as other studs such as Kevin Durant, Anthony Edwards and the Warriors’ Stephen Curry on Team USA. Together, everyone on the roster is hoping to prove that the United States is still tops in the sport of basketball.

LeBron James: Bronny James doesn’t care about his critics

Some feel LeBron James is too concerned about what people think of him, but he says his son Bronny is different.

The Los Angeles Lakers taking Bronny James, the son of LeBron James, with the No. 55 pick in last month’s draft and signing him to a contract has been seen by many as a feel-good story. However, there are also plenty who have been crying about nepotism and saying that the Lakers took the younger James only because of his father’s influence.

The younger James didn’t exactly do well during his lone season of college basketball at the University of Southern California. In his first summer league game on Saturday, he struggled, going just 2-of-9 from the field and missing all three of his 3-point attempts.

Plenty are skeptical that he will amount to anything in the NBA. But the elder James said in an interview with Dave McMenamin that his son doesn’t care about those critics.

Via ESPN:

“I don’t know if people really understand Bronny,” James told ESPN as part of a wide-ranging interview after USA Basketball practice Sunday in preparation for the Paris Olympics. “He doesn’t care. I actually care a little bit. When I came in [as a rookie], I wanted people to like me, and some of the things that people were saying about me kind of bothered me early on in my career. … He doesn’t give a [expletive].

“He does not care about nobody. He doesn’t even listen to that stuff. He’s like the coolest. He’s like the complete opposite of his dad. His dad will say something [to address the critics]. Bro does not care. … Everything that’s being said about him, he really does not care.”

Not caring about one’s critics is an admirable quality to have, as it makes it easier for someone to remain focused on the task at hand and keep the main thing the main thing.

The younger James has reportedly been signed to a four-year contract that will pay him $7.9 million, so it looks like the Lakers will be willing to be patient with him as he develops into whatever he will become.

What jersey number will Bronny James wear with the Lakers?

The Lakers have revealed the jersey number Bronny James, the No. 55 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, will wear while with them.

On Thursday, the Los Angeles Lakers did what many expected them to do for the past 12 to 24 months: draft Bronny James, the son of LeBron James.

The younger James was taken with the No. 55 pick in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft. He had his struggles this season with the University of Southern California, but it is thought that he has the potential to become a useful player.

Although there was some speculation that he could go undrafted or be signed to a two-way contract, it looks like he will be a full member of the Lakers’ roster.

On its official X (formerly Twitter) account, the Lakers organization announced the younger James will wear jersey No. 9.

There will certainly be millions and millions of eyeballs forming a very powerful microscope that will be focused on the younger James, not just next season but for at least a couple of seasons to come. But regardless of what transpires from here on out, his drafting was a very proud and emotional moment for the James clan.

Rich Paul: Drafting Bronny James won’t guarantee LeBron James stays with the Lakers

Perhaps playing alongside his son Bronny doesn’t mean a ton to LeBron James.

There is now just one week to go before the 2024 NBA Draft begins, and the most talked about man in this year’s draft class has been Bronny James, the son of LeBron James.

Many have figured that one way or another, the Los Angeles Lakers will end up drafting the younger James. They have the No. 17 and No. 55 picks in this year’s draft, although some feel he could go earlier than the No. 55 pick.

The general feeling is that the team that drafts the younger James would be able to entice his father to sign with it in free agency this summer. But Rich Paul, who represents both players, says that isn’t necessarily the case.

Via ESPN:

“LeBron is off this idea of having to play with Bronny,” Paul told ESPN. “If he does, he does. But if he doesn’t, he doesn’t. There’s no deal made that it’s guaranteed that if the Lakers draft Bronny at 55, he will re-sign. If that was the case, I would force them to take him at 17. We don’t need leverage. The Lakers can draft Bronny and LeBron doesn’t re-sign.”

The elder James has stated in the past that he would love to play alongside his son.

The younger James struggled this season in his lone campaign at the University of Southern California, especially when it came to his shooting efficiency. But he did show some promising signs at the NBA draft combine several weeks ago.

There are those who still feel he has star potential. But it is also fair to say that the hype and expectations surrounding him are mostly because of who his father is and not because of his own potential.

The younger James has limited the number of teams he has worked out with. He has only done workouts with the Lakers and Phoenix Suns, which has led to some whispers that perhaps the elder James could leave to join the Suns. But Paul tried to end that rumor.

“LeBron is also not going to Phoenix for a minimum deal. We can squash that now.”

Draft day could be a huge one for the Lakers, not only because of the possibility of taking the younger James but also because of the possibility they swing a sizable trade to upgrade their roster. They can offer up to three first-round draft picks in a deal, something they were unable to do prior to the trade deadline in February due to NBA rules.

The Western Conference contender that could try to draft Bronny James

There could be another team besides the Lakers that would love to take Bronny James in the upcoming NBA draft.

With less than two weeks to go before the 2024 NBA Draft, there is a gradually growing buzz about where Bronny James, the son of LeBron James, will be taken in the draft.

There are plenty who believe he is destined to be drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers, if for no other reason than to appease his father. The elder James is about to become a free agent, and drafting his son seems to be the type of thing that could influence where he will play next season.

He has stated that he would love to play alongside his son. On the other hand, a recent report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski indicated that it may not be a big priority.

The younger James has reportedly agreed to only work out for a very limited number of teams. According to Marc Stein, the Dallas Mavericks could be interested in drafting him, although there is an obstacle standing between them and that apparent goal.

Via Marc Stein Substack:

“The Mavericks would have interest in selecting Bronny James with the 58th overall pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, league sources say,” Stein reported. But the Mavericks also realize it’s extremely unlikely that James will still be available for selection. All current indications suggest that LeBron James’ 19-year-old son will be selected earlier in the second round before Dallas makes the last pick in the draft.”

The Mavs are currently fighting to stay alive in the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics. One may surmise that their desire to draft the younger James may mean they will try to lure the elder James away from Los Angeles and complete their championship puzzle.