Richard Jefferson: LeBron James isn’t an all-time Laker

Dwyane Wade recently made a guest appearance on JJ Redick’s The Old Man & The Three podcast, and it was an opportunity for the Heat icon to get brutally honest with his thoughts on why their Big 3 garnered so much hate. Wade was quick to point out that the way they teamed up to win a title wasn’t much different from how other iconic teams did it in the past (h/t ClutchPoints on Twitter): “If you think about it, no one gives backlash to any championships that Larry Bird won, that Magic Johnson won, that Michael Jordan won,” Wade said. “… You don’t win championships without playing with other guys that are great, first of all.” -via Clutch Points / August 13, 2022

It was at this point where Wade decided to drop a shocking truth bomb about how the hatred for the Heat was racially motivated: “We knew that some of the hate was because of our skin color,” he claimed. “Because of being Black men and deciding to control the fate of our careers. … So, when we had the power, when we had the moment, we took it. But some of the hate came because we were three Black guys who decided and changed the way that the NBA probably would ever be because of that decision.” -via Clutch Points / August 13, 2022

Clutch Points: Brandon Jennings has some thoughts on the state of today’s NBA… 🤔 Jennings mentions that he feels Chris Paul and LeBron James were among those who contributed to turning the NBA into a “player’s league,” which has hurt the league. (via @Tuff__Crowd) pic.twitter.com/0fKrdStGsK -via Twitter @ClutchPointsApp / August 13, 2022

Draymond Green: I’m watching the 98 Bulls vs Utah in the Finals… I can’t help but notice our 2017 team would’ve beaten these Bulls by a dub and these Jazz by 40 if they’re going to play these brands of basketball. And that’s why it’s dumb to compare Era’s. Richard Jefferson: Bro your 2017 team is the 2nd best team I played against BUT LETS CALM DOWN !! Also, I like the move of this text on Sunday afternoon. EVERY SHOW TOMORROW “ Draymond SAID WHAT”  -via Twitter / July 25, 2022

Forty-two-year-old Richard Jefferson stepped on an NBA court for the first time since he retired. But it wasn’t to play — it was to referee a Las Vegas Summer League game. Jefferson — who spent seven seasons with the Nets, and won a 2016 title with Cleveland — refereed the second quarter of Monday night’s Knicks vs. Trail Blazers game at Thomas & Mack Arena. “Part of the reason why I agreed to do it is because I had such a tremendous amount of respect for the officials. I understand how important they are to our game,” said Jefferson, an ESPN broadcaster. “I got texts from Monty McCutchen. I got texts from Bob Delaney. I was getting texts from Scott Foster, Zach Zarba, because I have relationships with these guys because I respect what they do in their craft. -via New York Post / July 12, 2022

And Jefferson saw the irony in his refereeing debut coming against the Knicks. He had a long history of both beating them as a player with the Nets, and of prodding their fanbase while a Nets broadcaster. “I have no issue with the Knick fans. I understand when they see my face, I understand they can get frustrated for all the years of pain that we tormented them through,” Jefferson joked. “No, I respect the Knicks. Part of the rivalry — and it’s like Ohio State-Michigan, UCLA-USC, Duke-North Carolina — the Knicks are the team in the town. We’re the Nets, so there’s always going to be the rivalry. “There’s always going to be that energy and I have no problem leaning into it, playing into it. Nothing but a ton of respect for everybody in the Knick organization though.” -via New York Post / July 12, 2022