Los Angeles Lakers NBA superstar LeBron James

For his many detractors, LeBron James would not be mean enough on the field, he would not inspire enough fear in the hearts of his opponents. Yet one day, after a big provocation, he almost made a replacement unemployed!

When fervent defenders of Michael Jordan list his biggest differences with LeBron James, the mental aspect comes up pretty quickly in the conversation. For them, the King would not be a killer like the former Bulls man could be, and this would be felt in his relationship with others. According to their argument, the King would not necessarily be feared in the league.

But be careful, just because his opponents don’t completely crush LeBron in front of him doesn’t mean he isn’t feared by all teams and players. The proof with this rather incredible anecdote recently told by Archie Goodwin. The former Suns explained how the best scorer in history, then at the Heat, had massacred a poor substitute stuck on the bench:

LeBron’s response to the provocation of a substitute!

I was in Phoenix and LeBron was in Miami. He caught the ball halfway, at 45°, in front of our bench. One of my teammates, whose name I won’t say, shouted, “We can live with this shot.” LeBron, show us your broken shot, we can live with it! “. LeBron turned around, and one of our coaches started telling my teammate to shut his mouth, to leave LeBron alone because he was playing slow. It was the 3rd quarter he had scored 6 points…

After that he finished the game with 38 points. His first basket was a dunk in transition after an interception. He drove PJ Tucker into the paint 4 times in a row and took the same shot. He didn’t touch anything other than the net. I have the impression that he didn’t miss again after my teammate’s provocation. He lost his temper and we lost by 20 points.

LeBron James may not be as feared as Michael Jordan, but when he’s provoked, he always responds in kind. He has never been as strong as in Miami on an individual level, and he showed it after this terrible provocation from a Suns player. Moreover, he made a point of denouncing himself on social networks, explaining that he had almost lost his job after the meeting.

Archie Goodwin talks about the time LeBron went off after the Suns poked the bear 🔥

(via thismotionpod/IG) pic.twitter.com/zKWWiI223Q

— LeBron History 🏀 (@bronhistory) November 15, 2023

That teammate was me and I almost lost my job that day 😂😂😂😂

Never provoke opposing superstars, this is good advice that all NBA substitutes must know. Because most often it is not up to them to take responsibility, but their poor teammates who asked for nothing.