Former NBA Player Reveals What Boston Celtics Perceived of Lebron James

LeBron James is the greatest basketball player of all time. He has better numbers than most NBA players. But, it wasn’t always like this. Many years ago, the Boston Celtics players had a different opinion of the great LeBron James. King James is a veteran now, and he is in his primetime. Former Boston Celtics player Ryan Hollins said some players felt LeBron wasn’t that good.

The Cleveland Cavaliers selected LeBron in 2003. Every coach and player was impressed with the kid from Akron. He was The Chosen One. LeBron showed his Cavaliers teammates that he deserves their trust. He became a key contributor and helped the team win the first title.

In that period, some players said LeBron wasn’t as strong as everyone thought.

Boston Celtics’ star Paul Pierce spat at the Cavaliers bench during a preseason contest. This led to a bigger problem between him and LeBron. Kendrick Perkins played for the Celtics, too. According to him, Pierce did this because veterans like him were disrespected. None of them didn’t like the publicity LeBron was receiving. A lot of people like him well before he entered the league.

Several Boston Celtics players didn’t like LeBron James

Hollins revealed that Pierce and many others didn’t actually like LeBron’s other side. The former Celtics player told Brandon Robinson of the Scoop ‘B’ Radio Podcast that they thought LeBron was a “soft” player.

“That was our championship to walk away with,” Hollins said of the Game 6 of the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals. “Until then, LeBron was seen as soft.…

“We thought he wouldn’t show up in fourth quarters, we thought he wasn’t the real dude and when things got tight, he wouldn’t be able to go out and make plays. And if Paul Pierce could stay out of foul trouble, Paul was just as good at creating his own shot in clutch moments.”

LeBron was playing with the Miami Heat at that point. He tried really hard to keep the team in the Finals. Yes, he stole the show. The three-time NBA champion recordrd 45 points, 15 rebounds and five assists. He lead the team to a win. His performance was at a high level, and LeBron was good in Game 7 too. He recorded 31 points and 12 rebounds. This was their second consecutive appearance in the Finals.