LeBron James names three players he'd team in a 2v2 vs Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen
LeBron James was interested to answer every type of question — be it trivial, on-court concerns, or off-court stuff
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Today, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James treated his millions of fans to a Q&A session on Twitter. James was interested to answer every type of question — be it trivial, on-court concerns, or off-court stuff. James received some cool questions, but this one takes the trophy: if you had to choose one teammate (past or present) in a 2v2 to play against Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, who are you choosing?
Three options
James answered, but not just one name. Not necessarily because he’s indecisive, but because he’s played with and against some of the greatest talents in the world. Maybe he’ll choose his teammate after reviewing some game clip or imagining it from his massive basketball memory bank. The four-time NBA Champion wants to keep his options open in a duel against the greatest basketball duo in history.
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Interestingly, James has played with Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, and Kyrie Irving. He was teammates with Durant and Kobe during their stint with Team USA. James had a very different role then; while his playmaking instincts were still highly-valued, he became more of a slasher with Team USA.
With Kyrie, James didn’t veer away from his role as the primary orchestrator. But since Irving is an offensive wizard, James allowed the guard to do whatever he wanted offensively. He even gave him free rein to go iso-ball against Stephen Curry in the dying seconds of Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals. As well know, this was the right call.
These chapters in James’ career prove he knows how to tweak his game to accommodate his teammates.
One-on-one
These are prime choices by James. We all know that Kobe, KD, and Kyrie thrive off one-on-one situations. We could argue all day long on who’s the best one-on-one player among the lot. Kobe’s killer instincts and footwork are probably his best assets; Kyrie’s ball-handling and finishing around the rim have dazed defenses; Durant’s lethal jump-shooting has bruised defenses.
James has never been considered a one-on-one threat. As Kobe himself said before, LeBron is more of a pass-first guy, someone who belongs to the ilk of Magic Johnson. However, this doesn’t mean James won’t beat someone up in one-on-one coverage. The guy is tagged as a freight train for a good reason. He may not have Kobe’s footwork, Kyrie’s handles, or Durant’s smooth stroke. But James could run over his foes like they are a piece of paper.
