During an interview with David Aldridge of The Athletic, NBA legend Oscar Robertson said LeBron James is his “favorite” player.
Robertson was an early adopter of player empowerment, with his class action lawsuit allowing high school players to directly enter the NBA Draft.
LeBron entered the NBA straight out of high school in 2003. He’s also played for three teams.
“I mean, my favorite player — LeBron James goes from Cleveland to Miami, back to Cleveland and then L.A,” Robertson said. “Do you think LeBron was the only one involved in that? Don’t you think the ownership of the Miami Heat was involved in that? But when they have it in the press, it’s almost like LeBron is a dog, he’s a traitor. Look at what he’s done for franchises over the years. … Free agency has made guys like movie stars.”
LeBron spent the first seven years of his career with his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers. The King left the Cavaliers in the summer of 2010 for the Miami Heat to play with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. He became the NBA’s biggest villain for leaving Cleveland for Miami.
LeBron spent four years with the Heat, who went to four straight Finals and won back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013. LBJ won two regular-season MVPs and two Finals MVPs with the Heat.
In the summer of 2014, LeBron won over people’s hearts by going back to the Cavaliers. Cleveland went to four consecutive Finals in LeBron’s second stint and won the 2016 championship over the Golden State Warriors, becoming the first team in NBA history to erase a 3-1 series deficit in the Finals.
In the summer of 2018, LeBron left the Cavaliers again, this time for the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers won the 2020 title over the Heat at the Walt Disney World bubble.
LeBron, 39, is the only player in NBA history to win three Finals MVPs with three different organizations.
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