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For Kobe, it was Magic. For MJ, it was Dr. J. So that brings us to the current king of the hill, his majesty King James of Ohio. Laymen would immediately think of greats like Wilt, Bill Russell, Larry Bird etc. The more steadfast followers of the sport, might put up the name of a lesser-known, as in the case of Kobe, who has mentioned Brazilian Oscar Schmidt (who never played in the NBA!) as one of his idols.
But what lies beyond the final door will leave you baffled.
Not many are familiar with James Jones, a 35-year-old small forward with the James-led Cleveland Cavaliers. He has one NBA Championship ring, to his credit, but that doesn’t do much in terms of swinging the spotlight on him.
But what does is the best player in the world calling you his “favorite player of all time” and the “greatest teammate I’ve (LeBron) has ever had.” LeBron and Jones have quite the history.
Both are alumni of the 2003 NBA Draft. Both stood shouler-to-shoulder when LeBron arrived in Miami in 2011, Jones had been part of his hometeam since 2008. Everybody knows what happened after Miami combusted, took flight and abruptly landed – LeBron went back home to Cleveland with a couple of rings.
The part many aren’t familiar with are Jones’ tagging along, at the King’s insistence, to the Cavs. The stead LeBron holds the former Pacer and Heat are testified by this statement from the man himself: ”I told J.J. as long as I'm playing, he's going to be around. He's not allowed to stop playing basketball. So, I'm going to make sure I got a roster spot for him. I love him."
The love’s not unrequited though, as Jones shares the feeling: “He already knows it’s a reciprocation because he’s my favorite player ever.” Bromances are always cute, but this one’s worth $1.5 million, the size of Jones’ contract. His MPG average is under 10, but it seems like he’s more of a senior behind-the-scenes mentor, and a damn good one at that – good enough for the best player in the league to insist on him being a part of his team!
