"Was I standing there in fear? Abso-f**king-lutely" - JJ Redick recalls how matching up to LeBron James gave him 11 stitches under his eye, hails LeBron's 'fear' factor
Over the course of his 15-year career in the NBA, former sharpshooting guard JJ Redick went toe-to-toe with some of the top talents in basketball. Since retiring from the NBA, Redick has gone on to become a sensational voice in the basketball world. After starting and developing a successful NBA podcast, Redick has since been hired by ESPN as an NBA Analyst. Most recently, Redick has been vocal about how the public has viewed Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James.
A recent segment on ESPN earlier this week featured Stephen A. Smith and JJ Redick arguing over whether or not LeBron James instilled "fear" in his opponents. Redick quickly called out Stephen A. Smith as he talked about knowing from self-experience since he actually played against LeBron several times. Today Redick took it a step further. While speaking on his podcast, "The Old Man & The Three" Redick gave specific examples of when he realized that LeBron was a man to be feared on the basketball court.
"If you get into a playoff series with LeBron, you're certainly fearful of who he is as a player --- physically. I took a charge on LeBron my fifth year in Orlando. I caught his spin move perfectly. I ended up with eleven stiches under my eye. And I was standing there knowing he was going to make that spin move. And was I standing there in fear? Abso-f**king-lutely"
A follow-up from JJ on fearing @KingJames https://t.co/irj8kB52x3
JJ Redick backs up LeBron's accomplishments
There's no denying that LeBron James has installed "fear" into his opponents thanks to his incredible combination of size, strength, and quickness on the basketball court. The physical profile of LeBron has turned him into one of the most dangerous players in the NBA. James has the ability to go right at defenders and there's not many players in the league that can keep up with his pure strength.
Redick brings up another interesting point during his rant about the Los Angeles Lakers forward. LeBron James has continued to have one of the most impressive basketball resumes that we have seen in decades. As his career has progressed, it seems as if there's been a fascination with trying to dissect the accomplishments that LeBron has had throughout his time on an NBA court. Redick talks about how he thinks the public has made it a goal to try to "lessen" the success that LeBron has had during his career.
"We collectively, as a society have damn near tried everything to somehow discredit or dismantle LeBron's legacy. And all that guy has done is win, break records, build enterprizes, build schools..."
It's a great point brought up by Redick, as it seems like the public has made it an emphasis to try to downplay the impact LeBron James has had in the NBA. The truth is that James hasn't only thrived on the court, he's thrived with his impact off it as well. James continues to be a vocal influence in his community as he's made it a mission to give back and use his voice whenever he can for important issues. There's no denying that LeBron James has been one of the more successful athletes to come through the NBA as of late, and it seems as if we should spend more time focusing on what he has accomplished compared to trying to discredit his success.
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