The decision made by Kevin Durant to join the Golden State Warriors brought about a newer term to the NBA world: super team. The Warriors were considered a super team once Durant joined them, but many don’t see them as the first of their kind and rightfully so. LeBron James’ decision to join the Miami Heat prior to the 2010 campaign along with Chris Bosh to join Dwyane Wade also brought tons of criticism along with it, similar to Durant’s.
After LeBron’s season ended in bitter fashion with a Game 5 loss to the Warriors in the NBA Finals, James took to the podium postgame and made the declaration that he has never played for a super team in his career:
LeBron James: "I don’t believe I’ve played for a superteam. I don’t believe in that.” pic.twitter.com/poDOF6JwvO
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) June 13, 2017
Though it’s hard to decide what classifies a roster as a super-team and what doesn’t, it’s pretty safe to say LeBron James has played on a super team for a large portion of his 14-year NBA tenure.
James has played with two all-stars by his side ever since his first stint in Cleveland. For the Heat, he played alongside Bosh and Wade and now in Cleveland, James has had Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving at his disposal for the past three seasons.
Durant even said himself that LeBron joining Miami years ago was what allowed him to join Golden State this past offseason. There’s no doubt that when James assembled his championship team in Miami, that roster was loaded with handpicked talent to give them the best shot at taking down the Boston Celtics, similar to how Golden State was willing to do whatever it took to take down the Cavs.
James started the super team trend in the 2010 offseason when he left his hometown Cavs and we can expect to see that movement live on for at least the foreseeable future.
