Former teammate says: “Playing with LeBron sucks”

LeBron James is one of the greatest NBA players of all time. Next season will be the 23rd of his professional career, something no other player has accomplished and he remains a key player at 41 years old.

The future Hall of Famer has broken multiple individual records throughout his illustrious career, placing him—depending on who you ask—among the three greatest players in history.

But playing alongside LeBron James isn’t for everyone. That was made clear by two of his former Cleveland Cavaliers teammates, Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye.

During a recent episode of the ‘Road Trippin’ podcast. Jefferson, now an NBA broadcast analyst, spoke in a candid, no-holds-barred tone about what LeBron is like on a day-to-day basis and why he’s come so far, even as the years have passed.

“Playing with LeBron sucks,” Jefferson explained. ”It sucks because you’re trying to win a championship. It sucks because there’s constant pressure every day. It sucks because if you get to the gym at 8, LeBron’s been there since 6:30. He’s watching film, he’s doing extra work. Then you make a mistake and he’s like, ‘What the hell are you doing?’ That’s the part you don’t see."

According to Jefferson, LeBron’s level of demand forces his teammates to always keep up, something that not everyone is prepared to assume. That opinion has been echoed by his current Lakers teammate, Austin Reaves, who has pointed out that LeBron is almost always the first to arrive on game days, setting the standard for the rest of the team.

“When you play him, you can’t hide. You’re going to be exposed if you don’t do your job. You have to be completely committed to winning. Otherwise, you just don’t fit in,” Richard Jefferson added.

For his part, Channing Frye, who also shared a locker room with LeBron during that historic stage in Cleveland, agreed that the level of intensity can be overwhelming for some players.

Frye said: “It’s not that it’s bad to play with LeBron, but you have to understand that it’s not about you. He’s the driving force of the team. He leads everything. And if that hurts your ego or you’re not ready for that kind of pressure, you’re going to have a bad time,” the former Cleveland Cavaliers player said.

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