LeBron James has had a storied career spanning over a decade, and multiple franchises. Two stints at the Cleveland Cavaliers on either side of his tenure at the Miami Heat. And his current franchise, the Los Angeles Lakers.
Although LeBron has won a championship on each of his teams, the most successful period of his career was undoubtedly in Miami under president Pat Riley. He won 2 NBA Championships alongside Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh in 4 seasons together.
However, his exit from Miami is often remembered unceremoniously by Pat Riley. “I had two to three days of tremendous anger. I was absolutely livid, which I expressed to myself and my closest friends.”
Riley eventually accepted that the move was the right one on LeBron’s part. That has allowed him to reflect further on the moments where LeBron was not necessarily right.
LeBron James wanted Erik Spoelstra out
In Ian Thomsen’s “The Soul of Basketball: The Epic Showdown between LeBron, Kobe, Doc, and Dirk that Saved the NBA”, Pat Riley opens up about LeBron’s time in Miami. He spoke about an incident from James’ first season with the Heat, after a loss to Dirk Nowitzki’s Dallas Mavericks.
The former Lakers coach revealed that the day after the loss, the Heat’s Big 3 met him in his office to discuss the season to that point. It had been a poor start, with 8 losses in 17 games. And the frustration was apparent, and also directed towards the young coach, Erik Spoelstra.
To the point that LeBron nudged his Miami Heat president to return to his former coaching role. Riley narrates.
“And I remember LeBron looking at me, and he said, ‘Don’t you ever get the itch?’ I said, ‘The itch for what?’ He said, ‘The itch to coach again?’ I said, ‘No, I don’t have the itch.‘
The entire dialogue between the two is very telling. LeBron is strongly hinting at his displeasure with the coach, Spoelstra, and the mistrust is clear. Had LeBron had his way, we may have seen the return of the great Pat Riley on the sidelines.
Riley then spoke about how the incident drew to a close, almost symbolically.
“He didn’t ask any more questions, and I didn’t offer any more answers. But I know what it meant, and I always go back and wonder about what he was thinking at that time. He walked out scratching his leg like it was itching.”
This may well have been the first instance in LeBron James’ career where he tried to impose his will on the front office. But in the career that has followed, with greater influence as his legacy balloons into something unfathomable, LeBron has made many things go his way.
From bending the Cavaliers to his preference, to his latest influence on the Lakers front office. It is widely reported that James pushed for Russell Westbrook’s signing. And also worked with Westbrook by convincing the former MVP to team up with him in LA.
While the Westbrook move can be considered a failure, and we will probably never know the extent of LeBron’s interference with front offices in his teams, the success in his career justifies his actions. And it is certainly difficult to criticize 4 NBA Championships.