Playing with LeBron James ‘a gift and a curse,’ former teammate says

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LeBron James has four NBA championships, is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer and is widely considered one of the greatest players in league history. 

In his 20th NBA season, James has shown few signs of slowing down, averaging 29.5 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 6.9 assists in 47 games. 

LeBron James, #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers, handles the ball during the game against the Golden State Warriors on Feb. 23, 2023 at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles. (Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)

NBA players all look up to James, but playing with the 19-time All-Star is no walk in the park. 

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Every season, James expects to contend for a championship, with the pressure on his teammates mounting when losing occurs. 

J.R. Smith, who played alongside James with the Cleveland Cavaliers for four seasons, discussed what it was like playing alongside the all-time great on the "Game Theory with Bomani Jones." 

"Honestly, it’s a gift and a curse with playing with Bron," Smith said. "I love Bron to death and I loved playing on his team because, for me, I feel I thrived more under the pressure. But a lot of guys don’t like it because it can go one of two ways. 

"It’s either, what did you not do to help him win? And, who else didn’t help to not help him win?" 

LeBron James, #23, and JR Smith, #5 of the Cleveland Cavaliers, react as time expries in regulation against the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals at ORACLE Arena on May 31, 2018 in Oakland, California. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

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