LeBron James will go down in history as one of the greatest players to ever play the game. His decorated career speaks volumes of how much he has achieved, as well as how much he has contributed to the sport. Needless to say, LeBron is going to be a shoo-in first-ballot Hall of Famer once his time comes.
Despite LeBron's individual strengths, however, credit still has to be given to the many teammates he had along the way. Surely, James would be one of the first persons to deflect the credit to his teammates for how they helped him achieve all that he has throughout his NBA journey. Today we take a look at some legends that LeBron has played with through the years — some of which you may have forgotten completely/did not know at all.
Honorable Mention: Dwyane Wade
We all know how LeBron and Dwayne Wade formed two-thirds of the infamous Miami Heat Big 3 that went on to win back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013. However, what some of you may have forgotten is that this duo had another short-lived and rather unsuccessful stint together with the Cleveland Cavaliers. After spending a year with his hometown team, the Chicago Bulls, Wade joined LeBron in Cleveland in 2017. This resulted in the most forgettable half season in Wade's career (he averaged a career-low 11.2 points in just 46 games played). It was clear that this was no longer the LeBron-Wade tandem of Miami. So much so, that the Cavs traded away Wade in the middle of that season.
5. Jerry Stackhouse
A two-time All-Star and a former All-Rookie Team member, 6-foot-6 guard/forward Jerry Stackhouse is not exactly a legend, but he still deserves a shout out here. After all, he did average 29.8 points per game at one point in his career, so it would be safe to label him as an elite scorer, to say the least.
Stackhouse linked up with LeBron James towards the tail end of the former's career. He was already 36 when he signed with the Heat during the 2010-11 season, and that did not turn out well for him. The former third overall pick ended up playing just seven games with Miami, putting up just 1.7 points in 7.1 minutes per game.
4. Shawn Marion
Most fans would consider Shawn Marion's stint with the Phoenix Suns as the most memorable run of his career. The 6-foot-7 forward spent the first nine seasons of his career with the Suns, making four All-Star appearances and two All-NBA nods in the process. He did win his one and only championship with the Dallas Mavericks in 2011, though.
In 2014, in the very last season of Marion's career, he signed with the Cavs. This was when he had the privilege of playing alongside LeBron. The former UNLV standout was able to play 57 games that season (at 36 years of age), but his production rate was a far cry from the All-Star Shawn Marion.
3. Derrick Rose
Derrick Rose's amazing rise to fame is well-documented, and sadly, so is his fall from grace. As part of the former MVP's quest to return to his glory days, he had a very brief stint with Cleveland. He signed with the team in the summer of 2017 as a free agent after spending a single season with the New York Knicks. Unfortunately, things did not pan out for Rose in Cleveland. He only logged 16 games as LeBron's teammate, averaging 9.8 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 19.3 minutes per contest.
Things got so bad in Cleveland for Rose that the team ended up trading him away in the middle of the 2017-18 campaign, which incidentally, was the same time the Cavs also parted ways with Wade.
2. Ben Wallace
During his time with the Detroit Pistons, Ben Wallace won Defensive Player of the Year four times in five seasons, among other accolades. He was also the heart and soul of the Pistons team that upset the Los Angeles Lakers for the title in 2004. A couple other players on our list here today may not exactly possess “legendary” status, but for Wallace, there's no denying that.
Not many remember, though, that Wallace one teamed up with LeBron at one point in his career. The 6-foot-9 big man played for the Cavs for two seasons between 2008 and 2009. He wasn't that bad in Cleveland compared to the other guys on our list here, but he was definitely not the same Ben Wallace from his youth. In two seasons, Wallace averaged 3.3 points, 6.7 rebounds (a far cry from his career-best 15.4 board per game), and 1.4 blocks in 24.3 minutes per contest.
In 2009, the Cavs traded Wallace to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for another legend.
1. Shaquille O'Neal
That other legend was none other than Shaquille O'Neal. There's no need to list down all of Shaq's many accolades and accomplishments throughout his colorful career, as we all know how dominant of a player he was during his prime — definitely one of the most dominant players we've ever seen in the NBA.
Shaq was already 37 when he arrived in Cleveland in 2009, but still, he was coming off an All-Star year with the Suns (his 15th and final appearance), so there was still some hope that he could help LeBron win what would have been the latter's first title at that time. That did not prove to be the case. The Cavs were eliminated in the second round by the Boston Celtics, which eventually led to O'Neal walking away from the team that same summer as a free agent.
Follow Us
Subscribe