All signs indicate that Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has been a consummate teammate throughout his NBA career, as he’s been great at playmaking and leading his teams to wins over the years while often making players around him better.
But former NBA sharpshooter Danny Green, who played on the Lakers team that won the title in 2020, recently spoke about a potential downside of playing alongside arguably the greatest basketball player of all time.
While Green had great things to say about James, he also said that there’s an incredible amount of pressure that is inherent to being James’ teammate due to his fans.
“He made the game very easy,” Green said of James. “But…there are times where it’s not as easy because there’s so much pressure, even if you’re wide open, to execute the play because you’re playing with LeBron James. And that’s more so on the outside than it is on the inside ’cause Bron ain’t putting the pressure on you.
“But all the LeBron fans are like, ‘Who’s this bum? Why is he playing with — he can’t make a damn shot.’ You know what I’m saying? So, it’s a gift and a curse, but he made the game easy, man.
“And it was a lot of fun learning from him early on, a lot of fun playing against him and then even better to play with him, and then it was the bubble, but winning the championship with him. It was great, man, so I couldn’t ask for a better scenario.”
While Green did win a title playing alongside James, he was in a little bit of a shooting slump in the 2020 NBA Playoffs, as he shot just 34.7 percent from the field and 33.9 percent from 3-point range across 21 games played (all starts). As a result, he had to deal with some outside noise at times during L.A.’s title run, particularly in the championship series against the Miami Heat.
Green, who was still an important part of that championship team, may be as well-equipped as anyone to speak on the incredible expectations that folks are held to when sharing the floor with James, as he experienced the pressure for himself.
The journeyman didn’t remain with the Lakers for much longer after the team won its 2020 title, as L.A. traded him to the Philadelphia 76ers in the offseason.
He last played in the NBA with the 76ers in the 2023-24 season (in a separate stint), where he saw limited playing time. His final years in the NBA were impacted after he suffered an injury.
Green ended his NBA tenure with three championships under his belt, as he won one title with the San Antonio Spurs earlier on in his pro career and another with the Toronto Raptors in 2019.
Although every player goes through some ups and downs, Green was one of the best shooters in the NBA during his career and had an impressive run in the league.