"'LeBron is coming, where am I going to hide?'" - Spanish NBA star and 'Hustle' actor Juancho Hernangomez recalls interaction with LeBron James

LeBron James at the Footprint Center.
LeBron James at the Footprint Center.

Juancho Hernangomez, star of the new Netflix movie "Hustle," talked about meeting LeBron James on "The Rich Eisen Show." Hernangomez said:

"We play the Lakers and after the game LeBron came to me, I mean we were in the locker room, and he's coming and I was like 'LeBron is coming, where am I going to hide?' And he comes to me and says 'Hey, thank you for doing the movie, you're looking great' and I was like 'Oh, he knows me.'"

LeBron is largely admired by international and national players, despite the recent media slander.

LeBron James' popularity in the media might be low right now, but is largely high in the league

LeBron James and Devin Booker.
LeBron James and Devin Booker.

LeBron James left the Cleveland Cavaliers to join the Miami Heat in the 2010 offseason. The media slander for basketball's golden child rose to a level no athlete has ever endured when taking into account activities strictly within their game.

But with age, LeBron's likeability has definitely increased. After James left Miami to return to Cleveland, he gave the Cavaliers their only NBA championship. James kept going back-and-forth with the Golden State Warriors in the second half of 2010s.

His return to Cleveland probably did more for his image than his time in Miami. The 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers were also the best team he's been on, according to the ELO ratings prescribed by FiveThirtyEight.

Returning to Cleveland, James joined a team with no huge names (Irving wasn't a perennial All-Star at the time). He took them to the finals for several consecutive years, putting a mark on his resumé not many can match. Not to mention the severely lackluster team he single-handedly took to the NBA Finals in 2007.

Grant Hill, on Showtime Basketball's "All The Smoke," was asked which player he would've liked to play with in his time. Hill summed up why LeBron is revered around the league, stating:

"I would've liked to have played with LeBron. The guys that play with him love him, like he's inclusive, he thinks the game at a high level. I also think no one's endured as much hate as LeBron.
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"You think about, like Jordan didn't have to experience that, when we played in the '90s, it was talk radio, maybe the newspaper, but you didn't hear the noise, you didn't hear the slander."

With an ever-increasing need to engage with social media platforms, athletes now endure heavy criticism on a regular basis.

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