LeBron: “I’ve Always Recruited”

The fuzz about LeBron’s tampering and recent recruiting of Antony Davis isn’t calming down. On one side mostly because the GM’s of smaller franchises are still angry, but there is that other side, which is eager to see the current Pelicans center in purple and gold.

In the big, Christmas, interview LeBron talked with Rachel Nichols about many things, among others recruitment he made while playing from Cleveland and Miami.

“I’ve always recruited,” James told “I’ve been trying to get guys to come play with me since, like, 2007.”

He did admit having an inconsistent success though.

I’ve got rejected a lot. But I’ve also have not got rejected a lot.”

In his previous attempts, LBJ tried to land Chris Bosh in Cleveland, before he went to Miami. During that time, Ray Allen, Joe Johnson and Michael Redd were also his targets. He spoke about that time in Cleveland, saying that there were a lot of people who didn’t want to come.

.@KingJames sat down for an exclusive interview with @Rachel__Nichols to discuss recruiting other stars, Kevin Durant’s comments and the possibility of playing with his son in the NBA. pic.twitter.com/83AYhVNJak

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 25, 2018

“A lot of people didn’t want to come to Cleveland, let me just throw that out there,” James told Nichols. “I tried to recruit so many guys to come to Cleveland, and we actually had — I had — a couple guys and it just didn’t work out.”

On the other hand, it was totally the opposite in Miami. Whether was that because of nice weather, or the super-team itself, when recruiting for the Heat, LBJ didn’t have any troubles. Mike Miller and Shane Battier, for example, were more than happy to come to Florida. He hopes to have a similar experience in LA. After all, it is the birthplace of showtime.

“It wasn’t hard getting guys in Miami, I’ll tell you that. So now that I think being in L.A., I don’t think it would be that hard to get guys here.”

James is clear about the purpose of his acts – winning. That is the only thing that matters, and he tries to explain that to all those potential teammates. His plans about pursuing the title are the cornerstone in every talk he makes with one of his “recruits”. And to be honest, who wouldn’t want to be the NBA champion.

“You know, and that’s what I’m trying to do right now, is to show prospects and free agents — and at the same time, show these guys that I got right now — that we can win now”

One of the topics when talking about LeBron and his teammates, was Kevin Durant’s remarks about a “toxic environment.”

Kevin Durant called the media circus surrounding LeBron James "toxic." Could that prevent a younger star from joining LeBron in LA? https://t.co/QioGRDznYt pic.twitter.com/kr8RrG5S0f

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) December 5, 2018

James told that he doesn’t care about that, but that he did feel a bit “pissed of” as he said. He didn’t want to react or make any comments immediately, because he didn’t hear everything. It is why, he had a conversation with Durant after that, and the matter was resolved. As usual, the entire situation was a bit twisted, which is what KD told him.

“I was a little pissed off when I first heard it, to be honest,” James said “Got a phone call from KD. He mentioned how he felt and how the story … how he felt the story took a twist. And as a man, I can’t, I don’t hold on to things”

Now, it is possible that Durant told all that because he recognized a potential danger for his Warriors. The Lakers are a growing force at the moment, and their limits are still not known entirely. With one superstar added, they would become a legitimate contender for the title, and GSW’s challenger.

But there is one more thing.

Klay Thompson might leave the Warriors next summer. As one of his potential destinations, we often hear LA. So, maybe Durant fears that one of his own teammates might strengthen the future biggest rival.