LeBron James recently beat the Warriors in the NBA Finals, and he isn’t harboring extra resentment towards them. In fact, he’s happy about what they’ve done this offseason.
James was really the original person to usher in the new era of “super teams” when he and Chris Bosh joined forces with Dwyane Wade in Miami.
In an interview with Business Insider, he said that while he was surprised that Kevin Durant chose to sign with the Warriors, he thinks that it’s ultimately good for the NBA.
“I think it’s great for our league,” said James. “Our league is very competitive. It’s continued to grow, and Adam Silver has done a great job of picking up where David Stern started, so it’s pretty cool.”
He doesn’t really get into the specifics of why it helps the league get more competitive. Maybe he’s speaking from purely a personal standpoint, because it’ll certainly be more challenging for the Cavaliers to repeat as champions next season.
.@KingJames swears by this unusual workout class to keep in shape during the offseasonhttps://t.co/SOUhhbBBzb
— Business Insider (@businessinsider) August 24, 2016
Mark Cuban had previously said that Durant joining the Warriors was good for the NBA from an economic perspective, but didn’t mention a competitive perspective.
It’s hard to make the case that increased collection of talent on a few teams creates more parity in the league, although it’s equally dubious to claim that the Warriors can coast through the season without any adversity en route to a championship.
Cavaliers/Warriors showdowns will certainly be more compelling, but the talent gap between the Warriors and a team like the Lakers has undoubtedly grown since the Durant acquisition, so I’m not sure why James is evoking competitiveness in defense of the Durant acquisition.
He’s in a unique position to comment on the transaction, though, because his past free agency moves have surprised a lot of people, for better or worse.
“My decision to leave Cleveland to go to Miami and then go back is different from Kevin Durant leaving OKC and going to the Warriors,” said James. “So I think every decision is different, and how much you have invested in that player, I guess, or how much you feel for that player is how you’re going to react.”
Any player of superstar status will elicit strong response from the fanbase they’re leaving, just because they want their favorite team to remain competitive.
It’s really nothing personal, because they’re actively objectifying the player based on the talent they bring, and nothing else.
Nobody in Oklahoma City would care if the 12th man left the Thunder, but they do for Durant. Are they so much more emotionally attached to Durant as a human being? No, they just hate that the statistics are going to another team.
James would really be a hypocrite if he did anything but support Durant’s decision, so I’m glad that he spoke positively of it.