LeBron Says Past Recruiting Efforts With Cavs Failed Because, “I Just Didn’t Win”
When LeBron James bolstered the Cleveland Cavaliers fan base when they drafted him no. 1 overall in 2003, he didn’t inherit a franchise that was accustomed to winning or success. Years and seasons went by as LeBron continued to evolve before our eyes. He even led one of his teams to an NBA Finals appearance in 2007.
But the popular understanding of LeBron’s teams in Cleveland were that he simply had no help. Certainly not the kind of help he acquired when he chose to leave Cleveland for the Miami Heat in 2011. LeBron even endured some criticism for perhaps not being aggressive enough in his recruiting efforts to bring other stars to Cleveland.
Well LeBron did make efforts, and he knows exactly why he failed, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN:
I recruited [before] I left here, but I just didn’t win nothing so nobody wanted to play with me,” James said, pointing out that previously, the lone marquee free agent to come to Cleveland based on his influence was Larry Hughes in 2005. “I recruited. I recruited Michael Redd, I recruited Joe Johnson, I recruited Chris Bosh. I recruited a lot of guys. I just didn’t win, and they didn’t want to come to Cleveland. So, I guess me winning two championships, it helped out a lot.
The championship caliber equated with LeBron James at this point in his career is certainly a factor. With LeBron at the peak of his powers, anyone would welcome the opportunity to play (and win) with him at this juncture in his legacy. The combination of Cleveland and LeBron’s lack of success was clearly a deterrent in bringing some marquee names to The Land in the past, but as we now know, that is no longer the case.
