The Story of LeBron James' First Near Miss, and a Coach Getting Cussed Out For Winning

Alright, Seattle sports faithful, buckle up. We're about to dive into some NBA history that's just wild to think about, especially with LeBron James about to hit the free agent market again. Can you believe the dude is 41 years old and *still* one of the absolute best players in the game? It’s insane! This summer, teams are gonna be lining up, hitting up superagent Rich Paul like crazy, all hoping to land the King. But here's the kicker: for every team that landed him, there were probably hundreds, maybe even thousands, that tried and failed over the last 23 years. The Warriors are already circling this time around, but let's talk about how close some teams got way back when.

The King's Chosen Few, And The Rest Who Struck Out

LeBron James has only changed jerseys three times in his legendary career: he joined the Miami Heat in 2010, went back to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2014, and then headed west to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018. Those three franchises were incredibly lucky. But you gotta remember, all that informal trade talk in the NBA? Most of it never sees the light of day. For a player who's had such an outsized impact on the league for over two decades, you just know that countless phone calls were made, countless plans hatched, all trying to secure his services. It's an incomplete history of near misses and what-ifs, but the sheer volume of effort to acquire arguably the greatest player ever is mind-boggling.

Jerry West's Heartbreak And The Wildest Tanking Story You've Never Heard

Think tanki

Trade on Every Game with Kalshi

Click Here to sign up to Kalshi — Free $10 when you sign up using our link or use code: ONTAPSEA. The only federally regulated prediction market in the US. Trade on real sports outcomes. Available in all 50 states.

ng is a new thing? Nah, it was alive and well in 2003, just not as widespread as it is now. And guess which team drew the biggest accusations? None other than the Cleveland Cavaliers, the team that actually DRAFTED James. The 2001-02 Cavs were just standard bad, winning 29 games. But then, in the 2002 offseason, they basically blew it up, trading away their top three scorers: Andre Miller, Lamond Murray, and Wesley Person. Coach John Lucas, who was fired after a brutal 8-34 start in 2002-03, later flat out accused the team of tanking. But wait, it gets better. His interim replacement, Keith Smart, reportedly got "cussed" out by a team attorney. Why? For winning on the last day of the season! That win put the Cavaliers in a last-place tie with the Denver Nuggets for the NBA's worst record. Can you believe that? A coach getting reamed out just for trying to WIN a game! It set up a lottery with identical odds for the Cavs and Nuggets. Cleveland got the combination that easily could have gone to Denver, and the Nuggets fell to the No. 3 pick. That 2003 NBA Draft Lottery is remembered, above all else, for the absolute heartbreak of Jerry West, who had just been hired in 2002 by the Grizzlies to run their team. Talk about a near miss that changed NBA history. So, as we head towards the end of June and LeBron James once again explores his free agency options, just imagine all the behind-the-scenes drama that's about to unfold. Will he make it a fourth team? What kind of chaos will ensue? It's going to be wild, and we'll be here for every single second of it. Get ready, Emerald City, because the NBA carousel is about to spin!

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.