Los Angeles Lakers superstar forward LeBron James always appears to be at the forefront of the basketball universe.
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James will soon enter an unprecedented 23rd season in the league and his eighth with the Lakers. Although James is 40 years old and will turn 41 midway through the season, he remains among the best players in the league.
With that comes criticism, but that's always been the case with James. More recently, it was former All-Star guard Gilbert Arenas who took a shot at the 21-time All-Star.
In his latest podcast episode, Arenas said that James needed players like Dwyane Wade, Kyrie Irving, and Anthony Davis to close games for him.
"What he [LeBron] needs that's what I'm good at," said Arenas. "One-on-one player and I could hit daggers, like Kyrie [Irving].
"He was smart enough to recognize that's your talent."
Prior to the 2010-11 season, James played with only two All-Stars: Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Mo Williams.
It was clear that James needed more help in order to reach the mountain top, which he received when he left Cleveland for Miami in the summer of 2010. Many credit James with this new emergence of creating a superteam, but all James ever wanted was the help he so desperately needed to capture multiple titles.
When James received the proper help, he was consistently viewed as the top option on any team he was on. The Akron native has played alongside incredible talents in his career, including Wade, Irving, Kevin Love, and Davis, among others. More often than not, James was the one who carried the load.
Occasionally, his teammates were there to help him out when needed, just as teammates should be. However, to say James was not clutch or needed help more times than not down the stretch for most of his career is ludicrous.
LeBron James is Among The Most Clutch Players Ever
James has a variety of clutch performances throughout his legendary career, and they have come in the biggest moments.
The Lakers superstar leads the NBA in total clutch field goals made and holds the record for the most clutch 3-pointers made in the regular season. On top of that, James holds the record for most game-winning playoff buzzer-beaters with five, including two in his impressive 2018 playoff run.
Did James need help? Absolutely, like every other superstar does. But there is no doubting his clutch gene, which he showed consistently in his career.
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