Agent Rich Paul Says Miami Heat Needed LeBron James From 2010-14
When it’s all said and done, Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is going down as one of the greatest basketball players ever.
However, some pundits believe he needed the Miami Heat to help him grow. But not everybody.
In a recent episode of Gilbert Arenas’ podcast Gil’s Arena, James’ longtime agent and close friend Rich Paul said the move to Miami was needed for both sides.
“The narrative of, ‘Okay, you know, he went to Miami and they made him this way’. What?,” Paul said. “What did help was infrastructure, consistency, professionalism which LeBron always had. There’s no question about that. But I’m saying, overall, from a culture perspective, organization, which is all great. But to create this narrative of he needed somebody, no. It’s a shared need because if I don’t go there, what are you talking about? Now, if you’re asking anybody from the Heat organization, they’ll tell you how much they appreciate it and still appreciate it. But the narrative from the media’s perspective was something totally different.”
During James’ first seven years with the Cleveland Cavaliers, he quickly became one of the NBA’s best players. He won two MVPs in 2009 and 2010, won the 2008 scoring title and led the Cavaliers to the 2007 Finals where they lost to the San Antonio Spurs. But his shortage of a championship is what critics always pointed out.
When he joined the Heat in 2010, he became a winning player. Along with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, he led them to four straight playoff appearances from 2010-2014 and back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013.
Even though those championships were James’ first, the Heat would still only have one if he never arrived.
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Cory Nelson is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He attended Northern Virginia Community College. He can be reached at corymckenzienelson@hotmail.com or follow him on Twitter @CKenzyNelson. You can also check out his personal blog HERE.
