In his 21st NBA season, LeBron James continues to impress as if he is 38 years old and no longer playing professional basketball. Not every past superstar or legend can say that when they reached that age in their career, they were still performing at a high level. However, for the Lakers star, he can do it, as the numbers and eye test speak for themselves.
Interestingly, James’ former Cleveland Cavaliers coach (2005-2010) Mike Brown was interviewed on Showtime’s “All The Smoke” podcast and discussed the incident in which he let the 19-time All-Star take control of the game.
“This time, I kept us consistent,” Brown said. “So we started talking and Mike said, ‘Hey, we’ve got to do this offensively,’ and I said, ‘Wow, no, no, we’re not kidding LeBron right now. We’re going to sit here, When the buzzer is about to go off, Imma goes in and says my one, two, three and then gets them back on the floor.”
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At the time, Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone was Brown’s assistant coach. The former Cavaliers head coach knew the talent the team had with LeBron James even at a young age.
When James first came to the league, he already lived up to the excitement of being a unique and versatile basketball player. Despite the advice from assistant coaches, Brown was conscious of letting his stars take charge on certain plays, especially when they were in that zone.
#advanceampads1#Judging from Brown’s comments, he shook his head as the coaching staff looked at him as they listened to what LeBron James said in the crowd. Despite wanting to have a specific game he wants, he believes in what his young star is planning to do and has the confidence to let him be himself on the court.
Mike Brown talks how LeBron James makes his Cleveland Cavaliers coaching job manageable
When Mike Brown coached the Cleveland Cavaliers, he had some success with the team, making it to 11 games in the NBA Finals (2007) and even posting 60-win seasons in two consecutive seasons.
In the same interview on Showtime’s “All The Smoke” podcast, Brown was asked if he’s ready for a head coaching job and what makes things manageable.
Even though he didn’t feel ready for such a big role and LeBron James was still a young star at the time, the 2003 No. 1 overall pick did enough to make Brown’s job a lot easier. Even though James is still learning as each season goes on, he’s the kind of player that coaches can count on to perform more than is asked of him.
In his first seven seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, James averaged 27.8 points (shooting 47.5% from the field, including 32.9% from three-point range), 7.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game.