Inside The Heat

Shane Battier Reflects On His Time Playing Alongside LeBron James With Miami Heat

Former Miami Heat player Shane Battier won two titles during his time with the LeBron James-led teams
Shandel Richardson|
Shane Battier Reflects On His Time Playing Alongside LeBron James With Miami Heat
Shane Battier Reflects On His Time Playing Alongside LeBron James With Miami Heat

In this story:

Miami Heat

Retired NBA player Shane Battier likely would have never won a championship had he not joined the Miami Heat for the 2011-12 season. 

That's when he teamed with the LeBron James-led Heat that also featured Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. They won two championships in Battier's three seasons. 

He spoke of James' impact during a recent appearance on the Draymond Green podcast. 

"The force, the intelligence," Battier said of James. "He didn't have a weakness when he was in his prime. He's still playing amazing now. There was no answer for him." 

Battier called James one of the best players he's ever played with. James won two regular season MVPs and two Finals MVPs during his Heat tenure. 

"He was  like a queen on the chessboard," Battier said. "He could do everything ... I'll always stand for LeBron, that's my guy." 

Battier even offered his thoughts on the greatest player of all-time in league history. He chose James based on his ability to win titles with Battier at power forward.

"I love Mike, one of the greatest of all-time but LeBron did it twice with me as his bum ass power forward and dragged me across the finish line," Battier said. "That speaks to how great LeBron is." 

A LeBron James Reunion With Miami Heat This Summer Still Ranks Among Possibilities

Shandel Richardson covers the Miami Heat for Inside The Heat, a Fan Nation channel for Sports Illustrated. He has covered the NBA since 2010.

TWITTER: @ShandelRich

Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here

Subscribe to our YouTube channel here

For any Heat or NBA questions, please email shandelrich@gmail.com

Published
Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star. TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here

Home/News