On a recent episode of the Lowe Post podcast, Zach Lowe and Ian Thomsen talked about Larry Bird’s lifelong fascination with LeBron James. James has always been viewed as an extraordinary talent by the Boston Celtics great, to the point that it affected his opinion of the players surrounding the King. Bird’s judgment as the Indiana Pacers’ president was even impacted by his faith in James.
Lowe quoted Bird from Thomsen’s book The Soul of Basketball, saying, “[Former Pacers’ GM David] Morway was trying to get me to trade for them [J.J. Hickson and a selection of other teammates of James], but I ain’t takin’ any of them fucking guys up there.” “You don’t understand, son,” I remarked. “Those guys who are playing alongside LeBron James appear much more talented than they actually are.”
Over time, such a way of thinking has proliferated. James has accomplished enough to establish himself as one of the best players in league history, both on and off the court. It’s hard to dispute his general genius, yet some people still hold his desertion to Miami against him. Any basketball universe that James chooses to inhabit revolves around him, and everyone in the NBA, even his teammates, arranges their lives around him. At the time of “The Decision,” it wasn’t immediately obvious to everyone, but Bird saw it plainly. It seems a little stupid now, but evidently it takes an all-time great to know an all-time great sometimes.
