5 Random Role Players LeBron James improved feat. Mario Chalmers
LeBron James will be playing in his 22nd year in the WNBA next season. Over two decades of basketball, he has had hundreds of teammates. A handful of players who wore the same uniform as James were All-Stars, but he also played with less heralded ones. “King James” is one of the best playmakers and leaders in basketball history, helping others improve their games as part of his supporting cast.
James has had incredible success since he jumped out of high school in 2003 to join the pro ranks. He was considered a generational talent who only exceeded expectations. As great as he has been, he also had to rely on teammates to achieve team success.
Players who benefited from playing with LeBron James
#5 Sasha Pavlovic
Aleksandar “Sasha” Pavlovic was in the same draft class as LeBron James but was picked by the Utah Jazz. They became teammates in their second season in the NBA after the Charlotte Hornets, who picked him in the expansion draft, sent him to Cleveland.
Playing alongside James and learning from the hometown favorite, helped improve Pavlovic’s game. He was considered for the Sixth Man of the Year award during the 2006-07 season. The Cavaliers eventually inserted him into the starting lineup the following season.
In the Cavaliers’ run to the 2007 NBA Finals, Sasha Pavlovic started in every playoff game. The Serbian, however, left “The Land” in the summer of 2009 to play for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Unfortunately, he couldn’t replicate the same success he had while playing with LeBron James.
#4 Norris Cole
Norris Cole arrived in Miami in LeBron James’ second season with the “Heatles.” Cole, a first-round pick by the Chicago Bulls, landed in South Beach following a trade. He became part of perhaps the most scrutinized team in NBA history after the Heat lost the 2011 finals to the Dallas Mavericks.
In three-and-a-half seasons with the Heat, he helped the team to back-to-back championships as Miami’s primary backup guard. Cole usually came in to substitute Mario Chalmers, “King James” or Dwyane Wade. He didn’t have a glamorous role but he did his job with energy and grit that he became one of the fan favorites.
From Miami, he was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans where he continued to shine. Injuries limited him to 13 games during the 2016-17 season as part of the OKC Thunder. He left the NBA to play in Israel after a one-year stint in Oklahoma.