Getty LeBron James defends Al Horford.
Over the years, LeBron James has developed a deserved reputation for being one of the most prominent villains in Boston sports history. Having faced the Boston Celtics seven times in his long and illustrious playoff career, which is the most he’s faced any team in the playoffs, it’s fair to say he’s made his mark as one of the Celtics premier antagonists. Yet despite the rivalry, that never stops LeBron from praising their players when presented the opportunity. When the Celtics faced the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 2 of their playoff series, he did just that.
On May 3, former NBA player Sean Singletary, who goes under the Twitter moniker “73-9 and THEY LIED” made a tweet praising Al Horford for his contributions saying, “Al Horford can really move the puppies in year 15,” to which James replied praising how young Horford looked on the court.
@CuffsTheLegend He sure can!! Looking hella young out there
Even though Celtics fans have taken great pleasure in rooting against James over the years, it should warm their hearts to see that James has seemingly never taken that too personally as evidenced by him praising Horford. Especially since James currently plays for the Celtics’ most storied rival, the Los Angeles Lakers.
Then again, considering Horford came into the league not too long after James, perhaps James feels he shares a connection with Horford since both are currently among the oldest players in the league.
Horford was not the Only Celtic James Shouted Out That Night
One could argue that LeBron shouted out Horford primarily because they both come from an older generation whose influence is thinning out by the day in today’s NBA. However, LeBron disproved that notion when he praised Jaylen Brown during the same game he praised Horford.
JB cooking!! And that was nasty 🤮🤮🤮
For those wondering what play LeBron was referring to in Game 2, it was when Jaylen Brown broke Grayson Allen’s ankles.
@KingJames OH MY JAYLEN BROWN 😳
Tweets like these demonstrate that LeBron takes no issue complimenting Celtics players when they do something that catches his eye. Of course, it’s easier for him to do this since he’s currently not playing in the playoffs. Nonetheless, it’s nice to see that LeBron wants to give props to players who deserve them when they do something noteworthy like Brown did in Game 2.
Although LeBron was sure to be disappointed that he failed to make the playoffs for just the fourth time in his career, he seems to be making the most out of his time as a spectator this season. Even with all the battles he’s fought against the Celtics over the years, that hasn’t deterred him from enjoying their play.
LeBron has Praised Individual Celtics in the Past
LeBron directing flattering sentiment at Celtics players is not a newfound development for anyone who’s followed him on social media in the past. After Jayson Tatum hung 41 points on LeBron and the Lakers in a hard-fought loss on February 23, 2020, LeBron took to Instagram to praise Tatum’s abilities. He even went as far as saying that Tatum was an “absolute problem.”
Being the NBA’s most recognized player, it’s clear LeBron likes to use his platform to promote other players for what they can do on the court no matter what team they are on. No matter how much Celtics fans may loathe him, that won’t stop him from applauding their players for what they do on the court.