In a new article that noted the chemistry forged last season by the Los Angeles Lakers, LeBron James’ one-dimensional approach to video games has apparently made him the most annoying Madden football player ever in the eyes of his teammates.
Rohan Nadkarni of SI.com wrote that Lakers players frequently got together to play Madden during their down periods in the NBA’s bubble. In these games, it was clear that James’ success with a limited play-calling strategy got under the skin of some of his teammates.
“When they played Madden, James—who took the competition seriously, practicing in between games—drew the ire of his teammates because he insisted on using the same play over and over, with [Tampa Bay] Buccaneers running back Ronald Jones II,” Nadkarni wrote. “[Jared] Dudley was among those who called James out, but the King was having none of it. ‘I had a great team. I had a great running back, and I had a great play that a lot of guys in our league couldn’t stop,’ LeBron says. ‘If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.'”
While those teammates may have been aggravated by James’ efforts, such feelings obviously faded on the court as the Lakers won the franchise’s first title in a decade.
James was an integral part of that effort and was rewarded for his efforts by being named Finals MVP for the fourth time of his career.
The ability of James to win a championship with his third different team clearly indicates that regardless of his teammates’ opinions of his off-court passions, they need his contributions if they want to even think about a title.
The Lakers’ effort to win the 2020-21 NBA championship officially gets underway next Tuesday night when they host the Los Angeles Clippers.
