Former NBA star Joe Smith shared insights into his experience as a teammate of LeBron James during their time with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
In an interview with Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson, Smith highlighed the transformative effect of LeBron’s presence on the court.
“He makes everybody’s game easier,” Smith said. “He draws so much attention out there on the floor with what he can do offensively that sometimes all eyes are on him. When he has the ball sometimes at the top of the key all the defense’s eyes are watching him trying to figure out what he’s going to do.
“Whenever he has the ball midrange or whenever you’re running the break with him, he’s so unselfish with the basketball that he’s going to make the correct play and the correct pass and you know it as a teammate so you’re gonna do whatever you can to get to the right spot.”
Smith drew parallels between James and his childhood idol, Magic Johnson, noting similarities in their playmaking prowess and ability to elevate teammates’ performance.
“I grew up a Magic Johnson fan so kind of to answer the question between what you’re not asking [laughing], I grew up a Magic fan and he reminds me a lot of Magic with the way he plays and makes his teammates around him better,” Smith continued.
“I just love watching him and he’s my favorite player to watch today. The way he plays and how he’s able to see the court and find guys whether it’s in transition or whether it’s out of a double team, it’s more Magic Johnson-like. And that’s something that I’ve always admired about him because I grew up a Magic fan
“A lot of people used to give him hell because he used to pass out of the double teams and make the right basketball play, you know? But real basketball minds really admire when your best player draws the double team and has the confidence in you to knock down shots.”
Smith agreed that James’ multifaceted game, combines elements of Scottie Pippen, Penny Hardaway, Jamal Mashburn, and Charles Barkley.
“Wow! I can see that,” Smith said. “He definitely has the strength of a Barkley down there on the blocks. Mashburn as well. People forget how crafty Mashburn was with that basketball whether it’s back to the basket or whether it’s his face up game, Jamal Mashburn was real crafty with that basketball and it enabled to create angles that he needed to get to the basket and finish, so yeah I can definitely see those combinations.”
Reflecting on Zydrunas Ilgauskas’s evolution as a shooter alongside LeBron, Smith saw similarities to Brook Lopez’s role with the Milwaukee Bucks.
“That’s a perfect comparison if you ask me! … Z went beyond the 15-footer… That is a perfect comparison,” the former number one draft pick said.
