LeBron James had a very successful four-year tenure with the Miami Heat, helping lead the franchise to two NBA titles.
He’s constantly evolved as a player throughout his time in the league, but there are many who believe his best version came as a member of the Heat.
Tristan Thompson seems to be in that crowd.
“Miami LeBron is the most scariest LeBron we’ve ever seen in our life,” Thompson said to Draymond Green, who agreed. “… That was athleticism at a whole ‘nother level.”
Thompson and Green were speaking about former Heat point guard Mario Chalmers’ recent comments that took plenty of people by surprise. Chalmers, who won two titles and spent multiple seasons alongside James, stated that nobody fears the four-time MVP. Thompson said that Chalmers’ comments pissed him off and mentioned that some people are on “some sucka s—.”
During his time in South Florida, James recorded 26.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 1.7 steals per game while knocking down 54.3 percent of his shots from the field and 36.9 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc. As a Heat player, he made four All-Star Games and was named MVP twice and Finals MVP twice.
James also came very close to winning Defensive Player of the Year honors during the 2012-13 campaign. He finished second to then-Memphis Grizzlies big man Marc Gasol, who many believe didn’t deserve the award over James.
All in all, James had a very successful stretch with the Heat, though some people believe he should’ve accomplished more. The 19-time All-Star left the Heat in 2014 to rejoin the Cleveland Cavaliers, and he’s now with the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Lakers are in 10th place in the Western Conference and have yet to secure a spot in this year’s postseason. The race in the West is still as tight as ever, though James can’t do much to help his team until he gets back on the floor. He’s currently out due to a foot injury.
Interestingly enough, the Lakers worked out Thompson earlier this week, but don’t seem to be in a hurry to fill up their last roster spot.
Miami and Los Angeles have already faced off against each other twice this season, so any future meetings would have to be in the NBA Finals.