© Kyle Terada | 2018 Jun 3
Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report spoke to a number of NBA stars and role players about LeBron James, and his seeming inability of late to court other big names to play alongside him, in a piece posted Wednesday morning.
The story features interesting quotes from numerous players, perhaps none more so than Kevin Durant, who went so far as to call the atmosphere surrounding James toxic when explaining why some people might not want to play with the four-time MVP.
“So much hype comes from being around LeBron from other people,” Durant told Bleacher Report. “He has so many fanboys in the media. Even the beat writers just fawn over him. I’m like, we’re playing basketball here, and it’s not even about basketball at certain points. So I get why anyone wouldn’t want to be in that environment because it’s toxic. Especially when the attention is bullshit attention, fluff. It’s not LeBron’s fault at all; it’s just the fact you have so many groupies in the media that love to hang on every word. Just get out of the way and let us play basketball.”
Durant also broke down why certain types of players are more likely to flourish playing with James while others aren’t.
“It depends on what kind of player you are,” Durant said. “If you’re Kyle Korver, then it makes sense. Because Kyle Korver in Atlanta was the bulk of the offense, and he’s not a No. 1 option at all, not even close. So his talents benefit more from a guy who can pass and penetrate and get him open.
“If you’re a younger player like a Kawhi, trying to pair him with LeBron James doesn’t really make sense. Kawhi enjoys having the ball in his hands, controlling the offense, dictating the tempo with his post-ups; it’s how he plays the game. A lot of young players are developing that skill. They don’t need another guy.”
While a number of stars who have elected to join LeBron over the years have tasted championship success, it has almost always been at the expense of personal recognition. In fact many have seen their stocks around the league fall while playing with James.
“Kevin Love, he had to totally change his game to fit, to be a shooter,” Durant said. “Which, I think, he deserves way more credit for switching his game. Bosh, same way. LeBron is a player that needs to play with guys that already know how they play the game—and shooters. Like, young players that are still developing, it’s always going to be hard because he demands the ball so much, he demands control of the offense and he creates for everybody.”
