Inside The Heat

Resurfacing Kobe Bryant Video Takes Aim At LeBron James, Kevin Durant

Jayden Armant|
Mar 10, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) guards Los Angeles Lakers forward Kobe Bryant (24) in the first quarter of the game at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Mar 10, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) guards Los Angeles Lakers forward Kobe Bryant (24) in the first quarter of the game at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

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Miami Heat

LeBron James will probably never hear the end of his decision to join the Miami Heat in 2010.

While it launched him into championship glory and elevated his career to new heights, he has been subjected to endless criticism for forming a superteam with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. One video resurfaced of the late great Kobe Bryant apparently taking shots at James and Kevin Durant for switching teams.

"As a leader, you gotta be able to take the good with the bad, man," Bryant said in the video. "Just cause the ship's sinking, you can't just all of a sudden jump off and swim to another ship. You don't do that, right? If you can win championships in front of everybody, then you can miss the playoffs in front of everybody. You gotta be able to take both sides of it."

To James' defense, though, he was coming from a Cleveland Cavaliers team that didn't boast a true game-changer besides him. James won consecutive MVPs in 2009 and 2010, but the team failed to reach the Finals in both seasons. He joined the Heat for a shot at greener pastures, where he won two championships on four Finals appearances.

Durant received similar slights years later, signing with the Golden State Warriors after their 2016 Finals loss.

"If you're doing something so easy, then you might wanna reconsider what you're doing," Bryant said. "[Kevin] Durant's been a friend of mine for a very long time. He's been a friend of mine, and so have LeBron and all those guys. Would I have made the same decision? No. But that's the decision, that's their choice."

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Jayden Armant
JAYDEN ARMANT

Jayden is a journalism school graduate of Howard University. He was the 2024 recipient of the Terez Paylor scholarship award. He previously worked at the Orlando Sentinel.

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