Lamar Jackson Unexpectedly Leaving Baltimore Ravens Ranks Up There With LeBron Saying Goodbye To Miami Heat
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson posted a message on his social media, revealing that he requested a trade from the Ravens on March 2.
Even for the ongoing contract disagreements and underwhelming seasons, many Ravens fans were still shocked by this revelation.
This feels similar to LeBron James’ departure from the Miami Heat in 2014, after the team lost to the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals. James opted out of his contract to explore other options, eventually going back to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2014. It was a surprising revelation considering the Heat were coming off their fourth consecutive trip to the Finals. Heat president Pat Riley said he was “furious” at James’ departure.
"I had two to three days of tremendous anger,” Riley said. “I was absolutely livid, which I expressed to myself and my closest friends. My beautiful plan all of a sudden came crashing down. That team in ten years could have won five or six championships.”
Some envisioned Miami winning many championships with the combination of James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. The Heat also boasted players like James Jones and Shane Battier to complement their Big Three. James’ decision to leave ultimately left the Heat as a borderline playoff team until the arrival of Jimmy Butler. Miami made the Finals against James in 2020 and nearly did so again last postseason.
The Ravens may have the same outlook going forward. They are 2-8 without Jackson in the last two seasons, and their playoff loss last season came as he was sidelined once again.
Jayden Armant is a contributor to Inside the Heat. He is a student at Howard University. He can be reached at jayden.armant@bison.howard.edu or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.
