After his fourth championship with the Los Angeles Lakers last season LeBron James made a famous quote by saying it is time for people to put respect on his name. “I want my damn respect,” James told Rachel Nichols of ESPN.
LeBron opened up about why he said the phrase on the latest episode of the Road Trippin’ podcast hosted by Allie Clifton, Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye. According to the four-time champion, he said it because of all the naysayers and haters that discredit him.
“For me personally after all that I’ve accomplished still in this league there’s a conversation of like doubt. And I can hear and I can see it,” James said. “I can see it every time I post something with this jackass across from me [points at Richard Jefferson] and I love it. I love you too.
“Just from people that really.. that the basketball world because there’s people on TV and there’s writers that write that people in the basketball world really listen to and they really believe. I’m not going to give any of those names on this show because they don’t deserve it. That continue to discredit or continue to not to understand what the drive that I put into it.
“They talk about these players ‘He doesn’t have that same drive as him’ or ‘He doesn’t have have that same mentality as those if he did…’ and they see what I continue to accomplish. So it was a reassurance to myself. But it was also like to the naysayers and to the haters which will always be there even after I’m done playing.”
