Future Hall of Famer LeBron James gets roasted all the time for joining other superstars to win titles. He's also referred to as "general manager" because teams often give him freedom to choose his coaches.
The reality is James isn't the first, or the last, NBA player to receive this treatment. Five-time champion Magic Johnson has often told the story of how he requested the Los Angeles Lakers to move on from coach Paul Westhead during the 1981-82 season. Michael Jordan also reportedly requested the Chicago Bulls acquire Phil Jackson to replace Doug Collins in the late `80s.
"When Westhead and I had our little thing back in the day and I went to Jerry Buss," Johnson said on an episode of ESPN's First Take. "I said, `Hey, he's gotta go because he's hurting the team."'
The Lakers eventually fired Westhead, replacing him with Pat Riley. It led to the beginning of the "Showtime" Lakers. Riley and Johnson later won four more titles in the decade.
NBA GREAT EXPLAINS DOMINANCE OF LARRY BIRD
The Boston Celtics versus Detroit Pistons rivalry in the 1980s was one of the most fierce in sports history. It featured the likes of Isiah Thomas, Mark Aguirre and Bill Laimbeer against Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish.
The teams met five times during the postseason from 1985-91. The winner reached the NBA Finals four times. Former Pistons guard Joe Dumars, now a Hall of Famer, recently recalled how tough it was to win a game at the Boston Garden.
"Someone asked me the other day, `What the toughest arena you had to play in,"' Dumars said on a podcast. "And I said, `Garden, Boston.' They said, `Why?' The air conditioners, they turn on in the winter. They turn the heat on in the summer."'
Joe Dumars on Why Prime Larry Bird & Boston Were Unstoppable.
Despite the Celtics featuring multiple Hall of Famers, he said the catalyst was always Bird. The Celtics won in 1985 and `87 before the Pistons finally broke through in `88. Even with the homecourt tactics, Dumars said Bird always made it tough to defeat the Celtics.
"But please let's not forget how incredible Bird and the Celtics were in their prime," Dumars said. "They were almost impossible to go in there and beat. You could not make a mistake with them. If you turn your head or you don't rotate right on time, those guys made you pay. And it was (Bird). He was like a savant on the court. He was two plays ahead on everything.
MORE BACK IN THE DAY HOOPS COVERAGE
Why Magic Johnson's return from HIV caused issues with Lakers teammates
Kobe Bryant once had issue with reporter's wardrobe
Michael Jordan once sent NBA great into retirement