Like Dillon Brooks, they wanted to “tickle” LeBron James

LeBron James etc Dillon Brooksit’s a soap opera with multiple episodes. From their exchange while the Canadian was playing in Memphis during a playoff run that went very badly for him and his Grizzlies, to their latest confrontation last week that saw Brooks ejected, the two hardly liked each other. The current Suns wing is never the last to pour oil on the firebut he is far from the first to try to provoke LeBron James in his long career.

Sometimes you don’t even have to be a player to be among those who have made LeBron James their target, for example Stephen A. SmithESPN consultant always fast some harsh comments about LeBron James, especially his son and teammate Brony.

The Lakers winger didn’t just make friends in his 23 years on the court, though he often preferred to let people talk about his game rather than take offense. Proof in the anthology of those who in the past wanted to excite LeBron James and get into his head. With more and much less success…

Paul Pierce

Of all the players who tried to throw LeBron James off his game, Paul Pierce is undoubtedly the first to attempt it with such determination. From LeBron James’ young Cavaliers’ numerous clashes with the Celtics, to the king’s takeover of the East with Miami, these two wing players have often gone head-to-head. For Paul Pierce, the matter quickly became personal, as the two players nearly came to blows during the 2004 preseason, LeBron James’ second in the NBA, before the Boston player spat in the direction of the Cavs bench.

Even LeBron James’ mother got involved during a conference semifinal game in 2008, when Paul Pierce had just cleared a Cleveland player to stop him from going for a circle, angering Gloria James on the court.

Both players continued their rivalry for many years, during which LeBron James took the measure of Paul Pierce at the end of his career. It was in a consulting role that “Truth” wanted to continue their disagreements, ensuring for a time that it was the work of only two competitors and that there was nothing personal in his behavior. That didn’t stop Paul Pierce from later making sure that he wouldn’t call anyone “The King” and that he was the main person responsible for LeBron James going to Miami.

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DeShawn Stevenson

Paul Pierce is perhaps James’ first historical “rival”. Ali is called his first enemy in the NBA DeShawn Stevenson. The wing was not a starpretty solid player, good defender and capable of hitting threes. But also a sharp tongue, a garbageman, real. As he said in 2008 that ” LeBron is overrated, and you could say I said it » after preventing him from scoring the game-winning field goal during a regular season game. LeBron James responds by saying that answering him would mean “ Jay-Z say something bad about it Soulja Boy », in an analogy between the heavyweights of American rap and the creator of the hit without a real future “Crank That”.

This same Soulja Boy is present, Wizards jersey acquired Stevenson on his shoulders, during Game 3 of the first round of the playoffs between the two teams a few weeks later and Washington wins by a wide margin. The next day, Jay-Z sang at a club in the US capital, where Stevenson’s bandmate Karen Butler was in attendance. cover of the title “Blow the Whistle » from Too Short and writes the lyrics again: “Who the fuck is overrated?” If there’s anything to complain about, it’s that he’s underpaid ».

LeBron James dominates the rest of the series, and we have to wait three years to see the two protagonists do it again. This time, the stakes are completely different: the 2011 NBA title between James’ Heat and DeSean Stevenson’s Mavericks. The latter limits the impact of the Miami star as much as possible, and Dallas creates a surprise by dominating the Big Three consisting of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. DeShawn Stevenson has announced that their rivalry is over? Appears during the coronation celebration with a T-shirt « Hey LeBron, how does my Dirk taste? » which does not need translation. In their rivalry rich with punch lines, DeShawn Stevenson is one of the few who can consider to have supported the comparison to LeBron James.

Lance Stephenson

If Dillon Brooks had already built a solid reputation even before attacking LeBron James, Lance Stephenson wanted his duel with the best scorer in history to become a signature of his game. High school star LeBron James had a smooth start to his pro career at Indiana, and during his sophomore season he was spotted mimicking the choke gesture, « choke,” when LeBron James had just missed two free throws in Game 3 of the conference semifinals.

A year later, in 2013, Lance Stephenson became the starter and driving force behind Indiana’s run to the Eastern Conference finals. He was sent to battle his new rival during Game 4 of the series against the Heat and dominated LeBron James in the second period in the Pacers’ win. The beginning of a long series of small provocations, from a few exchanged words « signs of weakness » LeBron James in the eyes of Lance Stevenson, until the famous episode breath in the eare during Game 5 of the 2014 conference final rematch between Miami and Indiana.

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Lance Stevenson’s return to the Pacers in 2017-2018 added some fuel to the fire of tension that has never fully subsided. “Lance is playing a little dirty, that’s all.” » he explained LeBron James. There will be two men in the end Lakers teammates 2018-2019, and Lance Stevenson to remain as one of the most faithful pests to come and tickle the King.

Stanley Johnson

If he didn’t have a long career in the NBA, Stanley Johnson tried to make a name for himself by trash talking LeBron James. « I’m clearly in his head, that’s obvious.” he assures 2016. “He ties his shoes like everybody else. He has to come and fight on the court and shoot. » We applaud the boldness, but we can also wonder what possessed Stanley Johnson to make such an outing while Cleveland was up 2-0 against the Pistons in the first round of the playoffs. Two victories during which LeBron James did not particularly suffer (22 points and 11 assists, then 27 points at 12/18) despite, it is true, more than honorable work by Detroit’s rookies.

Less than two years later, the Pistons sent Stanley Johnson to New Orleans, marking the beginning of the end for the former eighth overall pick in the 2015 draft, who fell off the NBA radar after the season, especially with LeBron James on the Lakers. At least he had « gained (m)respect during this series » assured LeBron James duringone of his podcasts with his future coach JJ Redick.

Joachim Noah

Between Joachim Noah and LeBron James, the relationship has largely been that of two Eastern Conference powerhouses who often square off in high-stakes matchups. Add to that the character of Joachim Noah and you have enough to sour the match. And there were a few between the two players, as the French pivot led the Bulls to among the league’s best teams in the early 2010s. It all started with a dig at Joakim Noah, who isn’t exactly a fan of the city of Cleveland when it comes to traveling there for the first round of the 2010 playoffs: « Every time I look out the window, it’s quite depressing.” he assures TNT. The Chicago player insists, despite the loss in the second game of the series, « I’ve never heard anyone say they’re going to Cleveland on vacation » he blurted out. Not enough to derail LeBron James, but enough to fuel the fire for future clashes.

They consist of intense fights, several insults – « I’m fine with confronting Joe, I like his competitive nature, but we need to leave it at that: the disrespectful words he said were unprovoked » LeBron James was annoyed during the 2015 playoffs – and even with a poster that looked like James’ message to Noah that same year. Very demonstrative, Joachim Noah never missed an opportunity to raise the temperature in front of his colleague. « I wanted to win“, he explained at the beginning of 2024 in RMC Sport. « There were times when he proved a little too much. He lacked a little respect. I told him and then it became what it became. » Namely, big fights but often the same result: 5 wins and 16 losses for Joakim Noah in the playoffs against teams led by LeBron James.

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Draymond Green

It’s hard not to stir up controversy when one of his protagonists says word for word « there is obviously a rivalry between us » . In case Draymond Greenthis phrase could probably be used for more than one opponent (or former teammate). But the inside of the Warriors made no secret of the fact that they had maintained a fierce animosity toward James for years. The two came close to exchanging punches — in addition to words — during Game 4 of the 2016 Finals, a rare moment when the all-time leading scorer has been so angry with an opponent in his career.

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Suspended for punching LeBron James in the privates during this game and losing 4-3, Draymond Green would get his revenge a year later in the Finals, appearing during the parade with a printed T-shirt « Quickie »referring to the speed with which Golden State won the title with the help of Kevin Durant (while Draymond Green accused LeBron James of starting the fashion for « super teams » in Miami) and a pun on Quicken Loans Arena, the name of the Cavaliers’ arena. “I hated LeBron » Green readily admitted. in the podcast in April 2025, before he understood the personality of LeBron James, who became one of his close friends in recent years.