LeBron James Speaks Out on NBA Reality That Surprised Him in His Career

The NBA’s all-time leading scorer has been held responsible for carrying the burden for the entirety of his career. Growing up, he didn’t think that was the key to winning basketball. 

In the newest episode of his YouTube series "Mind the Game" with Steve Nash, James described how the change of his role in the NBA truly surprised him coming out of high school. “I wasn’t the point guard on our team in high school,” said James. “Pass and cut, pass and dribble drive, if you don’t have a shot, get off of it. … My mindset was never ‘I need to have the ball in my hand;’ it was like, ‘We’re winning by doing what the coaches want us to do, and our system works.’ So when I got to the NBA, it kind of changed for me, and it weirded me out. I’m like, ‘This is not winning basketball.’”

It is evident that the four-time champion and Finals MVP knows what winning basketball is. But it took time for him to adapt to this new style. Not making the playoffs in his first two years of the league is indicative of that. It’s easy to understand his point of view based on his playing style; regardless of being the top scorer in league history, he has said that he is a pass-first player (via vibe.com). 

Although the Lakers may not be one of the title favorites this year, they believe they can make a real run while James is still on the roster. Los Angeles has legitimate goals to win it all this year, as indicated by head coach JJ Redick’s preseason points of emphasis being championship habits, championship communication and championship shape. 

Redick has mentioned that the 40-year-old will have a much more conservative approach to the preseason (via Silver Screen and Roll). The Lakers and James must take a conservative approach to the record-breaking year because everyone knows that without the 21-time All-NBA player, the Lakers’ championship dreams are diminished.