“He’s a legend”
In wake of Lebron’s record, Nuggets reflect on favorite memories vs. King James
Aaron Gordon pulled the LakersThunder game up on his phone, eager, like so many other NBA fans, to witness Lebron James make history.
On the other side of the Nuggets’ locker room, Deandre Jordan did the same thing. As Jack White peered over Gordon’s shoulder, and Michael Porter Jr. hovered by Jordan’s, a team staffer realized it’d be more entertaining just to project James’ pursuit of Kareem Abdul- Jabbar’s scoring record at the front of the locker room, where everyone could watch together.
James’ fadeaway over Kenrich Williams late Tuesday night secured the record, prompting a long, drawn- out celebration with 10 seconds left in the third quarter.
“If I was the Thunder, I’d be hot,” one player said of the delay.
“That’s sick,” another exclaimed.
James’ impact on the NBA is indelible. His reign began almost as soon as the Cavs drafted him in 2003. A season later, he was an All- Star.
“The guy didn’t have a prime,” Nikola Jokic said. “He’s in the prime for 20 years.”
As an opponent, teammate, or even just a fan of the game, James has made a marked impact on Denver’s players. Six of them spoke to The Post and recounted their favorite memories of The King.
Jamal Murray
Murray was just a kid in 2009 when James was still in his first stint with the Cavaliers. Cleveland was down 1- 0 in the Eastern Conference Finals to Orlando. Murray was spellbound.
“My dad’s barber, he got me a Lebron James jersey,” Murray said. “I have Vince ( Carter), I have Lebron. I remember wearing the jersey, I’m still a little kid, I don’t know how young I was. I was just really excited, big fan. I remember they had one second, and I’m like, ‘ Dad, he’s not gonna be able to get it off, he doesn’t have enough time. They’re gonna double him or whatever.’
“I just remember my dad being like, ‘ He’s OK.’ He didn’t really say much, but I can tell now that he was confident in him. I remember him catching it and hitting, and when he hit it, like, I was out of breath. I was in shock. I’ll never forget that.”
Michael Porter Jr.
When asked what came to mind when he thought of James, Porter explained how he’d served as a source of inspiration.
“I’ve worked with his trainer when I was trying to rehab my back,” Porter said. “… Just to hear the intentionality, and the routine and the dedication, even stories ( former Lakers teammate Kentavious Caldwell- Pope) tells me,
like, those are the stories when I think about ‘ Bron, motivate me to be more locked in on my routine, on my recovery. I listen to these podcasts, some people are talking about Lebron’s dedication. Double- overtime game and next morning at 8 a. m. he’s on the Versa Climber. Things like that, to me, are very inspiring.”
Porter reflected on what James had told him in the Bubble. James found Porter after one of their ramp- up games, prior to the meeting in the conference finals. After the game, he offered Porter words of encouragement before a photographer snapped a picture that found its way to Instagram. When James commented on the post, it only reinforced what he’d told Porter privately.
“It was a cool moment,” Porter said.
Kentavious Caldwell- Pope
Caldwell- Pope was teammates with James for three seasons in Los Angeles, including the 201920 season that ended with a ring in the Bubble during the height of COVID. Personally, he brought up the encouraging words he’d heard from James during a tough playoff series in Phoenix during the 2020- 21 season. When CaldwellPope was bypassing shots he was accustomed to taking, James was
in his ear telling him to launch.
When pressed for another moment, Caldwell- Pope thought back to a regular season game in February of 2020, when James buried five 3- pointers sequentially.
“If I had to pick one, we’re playing against San Antonio in LA, fun game, he had like ( five) threes back- to- back, last one was an and- 1, and the bench was going crazy. The whole arena. That might be one of my favorite moments. There’s been a lot of moments with him. He never seems to surprise me.”
Jeff Green
During the 2017- 18 season, Green was teammates with James, too, in Cleveland. That team was two years removed from James’ title run with the Cavs, but it was still amid his run of four consecutive WarriorsCavs Finals.
Green’s first inclination, when asked about his favorite moment with James, was to underscore his dry humor.
“Me getting 42 on him,” Green said. He never reminded James of that number, either, he added.
“My first thought would be, the dunk on ( Jason Terry) in Boston,” Green began.
“The dunk on Damon Jones when he was in Cleveland and
Dame was in Miami,” Green said. “The game- winners when I was with him in the playoffs. Toronto, Indiana, he had one against Minnesota, regular season.”
That Green had several to choose from wasn’t lost on him.
“I ain’t gonna lie, I still, to this day, watch his Youtube highlights,” he continued. “He’s one of my favorite people. Outside of basketball, he’s one of my favorite people. … He’s a true inspiration, how he takes care of himself at his age. I don’t want to play that long. I got two or three more years, brother.”
Asked about what he’s meant to the game, Green was effusive.
“He’s a legend, true legend, professionally, personally ( and a) good human being,” Green said.
Ish Smith
Smith’s first memory of James came before Smith was even in the league. Smith watched in astonishment as James scored the final 25 points against Detroit to stake a 3- 2 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals in 2007.
“The first memory, that Detroit game ( 25 in a row), that was when I was like, ‘ holy- freakin’crap,’” Smith said. “That was like, elusive ‘ Bron. He was giving people the double- crossovers to the dunk. I remember watching
the game, and I was like, ‘ What the heck?’ He just kept going. Detroit, to me, would’ve won it again, but he was just impressive.”
Smith, like other players, mentioned James’ longevity. Last season, he said he wore James’ first Nike shoe. Smith spent numerous seasons in the Eastern Conference, including Detroit, where James was a perpetual roadblock.
“He was ‘ Bron,” Smith said. “When he came in the playoffs, he turned it up.”
Aaron Gordon
Gordon didn’t have to think hard when posed with the question. In 2018, when Gordon was still with the Magic, he was the victim of one of James’ most lethal passes. To this day, Gordon doesn’t even know if James intended to do it, but it happened.
“This dude threw a behindtheback pass through my legs to Dwyane Wade cutting on the baseline,” Gordon said. “It was the sickest ( stuff) I’ve ever seen in my life.”
And did he ever get James back?
“Obviously, guarded him full court, blocked his ( stuff) off the glass, too,” Gordon said with a smile. “It goes both ways.”