LeBron James makes a solid case to be crowned as the best player of the game. Over the course of his lengthy 18-year NBA career, he has won three NBA championships, Finals MVPs, and four MVPs. Moreover, James has also garnered numerous All-Star selections and All-NBA honors.

Like any other great basketball player, given that it’s a team sport, James has had multiple teammates who have helped him achieve milestones in the sport. However, playing with the best player in the world can be a curse and a blessing at the same time.

There’s no question, James’ teammates are always placed under pressure to mesh well with him. And with James always in championship contention, his teammates must brace themselves for potential scrutiny or a change in scenery should they play below expectations.

However, playing with James also brings a lot of opportunities. James is an excellent playmaker, who has made his teammates look great. And with him often making run at a championship, his teammates have also benefitted from shining in their roles alongside the three time champion. Because of this, James has elevated numerous role players in the past that immediately elevated their value. For this piece, let’s take a look at five players who boosted their stock after being teammates with LeBron James.

LeBron James Teammates Who Thrived

Alex Caruso

Alex Caruso is the latest former teammate of LBJ who enjoyed a huge rise in his value. Before James’ arrival to Los Angeles, Caruso was simply an under-the-radar pickup by the Lakers for their rebuilding process. In fact, he mostly spent his time in the G-League before showing glimpses during the Lakers’ struggling years.

But ever since James’ arrival to the Lakers, Caruso’s career has only gone up. As a point guard with a knack for 50-50 balls, Caruso thrived alongside LBJ. He was a crucial piece in the Lakers’ championship conquest in the 2020 bubble by providing great energy and tremendous efficiency off the bench. In the 2020 NBA Playoffs, the backup guard averaged 6.5 points, 2.8 assists, and 2.3 rebounds per game.

After a productive stint with LeBron James and the Lakers, Caruso recently signed a lucrative four-year, $37 million deal with the Bulls. For an undrafted guard, this deal was a huge upgrade.

Chris Andersen

After trying to resurrect his career from substance abuse that suspended him for roughly two years, Andersen found a home in Miami. Known as The Birdman, Andersen thrived as a backup center for the Big Three in south beach.

As the Heat’s center, Andersen anchored the team’s defense. Furthermore, he was a dangerous weak-side cutter which allowed him to be an effective receiver of LBJ’s assists. Anderson’s shining moment came in the 2013 Eastern Conference Finals. He averaged 7.2 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. Andersen also shot 88.9% overall from the field including a seven-for-seven shooting performance in Game One.

Andersen would eventually win his first and only NBA championship alongside LeBron James in 2013. Afterwards, it won’t be long before Andersen would convert his 10-day contracts into a more stable one-year deal.

After continuing to prove his worth a season after, Andersen tested free agency. The Birdman garnered multiple suitors for his services during 2014 Free Agency. Because of this, he was a top priority for the Heat to bring back. Fortunately for them, Andersen would return to Miami by settling with a respectable two-year, 10.4 million deal.

Although this isn’t much compared to the other players in this list, Andersen certainly extended his basketball career by suiting up for the James-led Miami team. This is certainly not bad for a player, who was on a brink of exiting the league.

Tristan Thompson

In LeBron’s celebrated return to Cleveland, one of his teammates that stood out was Tristan Thompson. His hustle for extra possessions certainly made life easier for LBJ. As a solid finisher and elite rebounder, Thompson did a lot of damage in the paint by finishing on put-backs or alley-oop dunks. In LeBron’s first year in the return, Thompson averaged 8.5 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. With this, he established himself as a solid backup big to Kevin Love.

In fact, Thompson certainly boosted his stock in his Finals debut. The Canadian big man was a double-double machine against the Warriors. He averaged 10.0 points and 13.0 rebounds per game.

After that season, Thompson turned into a restricted free agent. It was a dramatic off-season for the Cavs and their big man. Although Thompson showed his value, the Cavs weren’t willing to offer him a max contract. However with LBJ’s desire to keep him on the team for his rebounding prowess, things turned into the favor of Thompson.

After a dramatic off-season of negotiations, Thompson would eventually agree to a lucrative five-year, $82 million deal. With a well-paid Thompson and a satisfied LBJ, the Cavs were able to win its franchise-first NBA championship after a historic comeback that saw them successfully climb out of a 1-3 hole against the Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals.

Matthew Dellavedova

Among the guards that LeBron James played with, there’s no doubt that Matthew Dellavedova was a force to be reckoned with. After spending most of his time on the bench, no one really expected much from Delly.

However, Delly shined once LBJ returned to Cleveland. The undrafted guard from Down Under evolved into a reliable role player. His physical play allowed him to get under the skin of opposing guards. Furthermore, he was capable of locking down elite guards such as Stephen Curry.

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In Game Two of the 2015 Finals, Delly played a huge role in limiting the Warriors star. Curry registered 19 points, but only made five of his 23 attempts from the field while shooting a measly 13% from downtown. But more importantly, Delly proved that he was capable of manning the guard position with the absence of Kyrie Irving.

After breaking out in the 2014-2015 season, Delly became a part of the Cavs’ historic championship run in 2016 to win his first NBA ring. After winning a championship with the LeBron James-led Cavs, Delly would enter free agency as a restricted free agent. He would sign a four-year, $38 million offer sheet with the Bucks which LBJ took delight in.

Timofey Mozgov

Timofey Mozgov was arguably the next best prospect to come out of Russia after Andrei Kirilenko. Standing at 7’1, Mozgov had the tools to be an imposing presence in the paint. He had shining moments in Denver and New York. However, his best stint came with the James-led Cavs.

In James’ return season, Mozgov averaged a career-high 10.6 points, and 6.9 boards per outing. However, his breakout came in the 2015 NBA Finals. Mozgov averaged 14.0 points and 7.5 rebounds per game including a 28-point and 10-rebound stat-line in Game Four against the Warriors.

Mozgov proved to be a inside presence for James and crew. With LeBron James attracting the defense, a cutting Mozgov often resulted in a easy bucket. Although his production dipped the following year, Mozgov would win his first and only NBA championship. The Russian center credited LBJ for achieving this milestone.

In an interview with Eurohoops, Mozgov said “If Lebron only played like he played and didn’t do his locker room speeches, we wouldn’t have won. As good as he was on the court, if he didn’t motivate the team as he did, we wouldn’t have won. He motivated us and made sure that we had the right attitude…When we were trailing 3-1 not one player on the team thought we’d lose, thanks to him.”

After winning a championship with LeBron, Mozgov nabbed a huge payday. The NBA Champion would go on to sign with the Lakers on a four-year, $64 million contract.