In the brand new second season of Netflix's Starting 5 series, Tyrese Haliburton described the Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James as one of the greatest villains in NBA history.
The context of this comes from a scene wherein Haliburton was describing his enjoyment of wrestling. Growing up as a fan of the sport from a young age, Tyrese is well-aware of the concepts of wrestlers being categorized as a "face" or a "heel," essentially meaning that they fit the category of a good guy or a bad guy.
When asked to describe a "face," the first name he went to was John Cena. Then when talking about a "heel," Haliburton made it apparent that the villain persona is something he wants to go for in the NBA. "I want to be the heel, or the villain, to somebody in the league," Tyrese said.
Then, when he was tasked with identifying the greatest "heels" in NBA history, Haliburton had to think through his answer. "For the most part, isn't it like, the greatest players?" he asked. "Like, LeBron's a great heel. KD's an elite heel."
Haliburton described LeBron as a "heel" or villain
This, I think, lines up well with the overall career narrative for LeBron. Yes, he achieved a monumental amount and is widely considered to be a top two player in NBA history, but it's hard to shake the villain persona that he ultimately attached to himself earlier on in his career.
James choosing to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers and join the Miami Heat back in 2010 cemented him as an all-time villain in the NBA. He was the hometown kid in Cleveland who everybody wanted to see when a championship. Then when he created the super team in Miami, it seemed as if everyone turned on him at once and began to see him as someone they would prefer to see lose.
As Haliburton points out, Kevin Durant did end up mimicking LeBron's move just six years later. But ultimately, it was James who first set the precedent and established himself as someone the masses enjoyed cheering against.
At the end of the day, LeBron has probably done a lot to repair his image in the mind of a lot of NBA fans. But as Tyrese said, the greatest "heels" can often just be the greatest to ever do it. LeBron James certainly would fall into that category.