"He was done"- Bruce Brown, who signed a $45,000,000 Pacers contract after Nuggets' championship, says LeBron James ran out of steam vs Denver
Bruce Brown won the 2022-2023 NBA Championship with the Denver Nuggets and has since signed a two-year $45,000,000 with the Indiana Pacers.
During their championship run, the Nuggets defeated the LA Lakers in the Western Conference Finals in a 4-0 sweep. Brown averaged 12.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game off the bench during this series. He made 52.8% of his shots. While not stellar, he played an important role off the bench for the Denver Nuggets.
For much of the series, and especially afterward, the Nuggets blew a lot of smoke in the Lakers' faces. They specifically targeted LeBron James and had a lot to say about him. This appears to have continued into the offseason.
Bruce Brown spoke about LeBron James on the "Run Your Race" podcast:
"Bron, he couldn't. He would have to go out and score 60. He was done. Yeah, he was done. He was burnt out."
Bruce Brown said LeBron was "done" after the start of the second half of the final game in the DEN vs LA series. https://t.co/c8N47kdHGQ
In the first half of the game Brown was referring to, James scored 30 points. However, when he saw the way James finished the second quarter and the way he came out in the third quarter, it didn't look like the LeBron James that Brown knew.
"He was so passive to start the third quarter. You're like "'Oh, yeah, he's done.'"
While it is true that James did not have the 60-point game that people were expecting after dropping 30 in the first half, it feels unfair to say that James was done.
LeBron James was battling his own body in an ongoing ankle injury. More so, there was a lot of responsibility on James' shoulders, and as always he was being asked to do a lot more than he possibly could.
Despite the lofty expectations and Bruce Brown's claim of James being "done," James was the leading scorer for the Lakers and averaged 27.8 points per game. Moreover, he averaged 10.0 assists and 9.5 rebounds along with 1.5 steals per game.
Bruce Brown's 2-year, $45 million Pacers deal
Bruce Brown reached an agreement with the Indiana Pacers for a lucrative two-year contract worth $45 million. The deal includes a team option for the second year.
BREAKING: Bruce Brown signs 2-year/$45 Million deal with the Pacers, via @wojespn
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Brown opted out of his $6.8 million player option with the Denver Nuggets earlier in the summer to explore unrestricted free agency. Due to the Nuggets' lack of early bird rights on Brown, their maximum offer during free agency was limited to $7.8 million for the upcoming season.
Prior to his winning season with the Nuggets, Bruce Brown was a free agent in the previous summer and had this to say:
"Nobody wanted me."
Brown's fortunes changed as the Nuggets signed him, gave him a chance, and he helped them secure their first-ever championship. Brown was impressive in the postseason off the bench, averaging 12 points, 4 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.1 steals. This was enough to land him a very lucrative deal.