Getty LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
LeBron James has been in the NBA for two decades and, as such, has had countless teammates.
Yet, according to Mario Chalmers, who was teammates with the Los Angeles Lakers superstar for two championship-winning seasons with the Miami Heat, players don’t fear lining up against the NBA’s All-Time leader in points scored.
“Nobody fears LeBron” – @mchalmers15 😳
Check out more of our exclusive interview with Mario Chalmers: t.co/JKHxbCCYPq
“Nobody fears Bron,” Chalmers said. “Nobody’s like, ‘Damn, I gotta go play against Bron tonight.’ Nobody said that. I don’t know why because I seen people be scared when they actually line up to him, but they’re not scared thinking about that matchup.”
LeBron James Could Miss Rest of The Season
According to Chris Haynes, who was speaking on a March 20 episode of the #ThisLeague UNCUT podcast, there is a chance LeBron will miss the remainder of the season as he continues to recover from a foot issue that has been bothering him all season.
“I think obviously the goal is for LeBron to return at some point before the season concludes, but what I’m hearing is that still might be a push right there, him returning at some point,” Haynes said. “I reported a few weeks ago that… the Lakers had to try and do whatever they could to try to win as many games as possible to give LeBron James as much time to recover as possible. So that means that even when he does come back, he might not be fully healthy, but (they are) just trying to buy him some time.
With that being said, I don’t know how realistic it is that he returns with some games left in the regular season. That is definitely the goal, LeBron James is shooting for that, I just don’t know how realistic it is right now… Can LeBron come back the final two games of the regular season? … I think definitely that’s a possibility, but I think it’s still premature as of right now. The way it was explained to me is that might be a push right there.”
The Lakers currently sit 11th in the Western Conference, 0.5 games behind the Utah Jazz, but still, the purple and gold remain dangerously close to missing out on the postseason for the second straight season.
Darvin Ham Holding Out Hope
While the reporting on LeBron is less than ideal for the Lakers, it would appear that head coach Darvin Ham is remaining optimistic about the chances of a return this season. On March 19, Ham told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin that he anticipates the superstar to return before the end of the season.
Three weeks after LeBron James suffered a right foot tendon injury in Dallas, Darvin Ham offered the most optimistic and definitive update we’ve heard on James yet: “We anticipate him coming back at some point (this season)”
“We anticipate him coming back at some point,” Ham said. “I think Bron, him being out has revealed that we have a lot of different weapons that are very capable players on both sides of the ball that can help us achieve the goal that we’re trying to achieve. And when he comes back, he’s just going to add to it.”
The Lakers will be back in action on March 22 when they face the Phoenix Suns.