LeBron James' supposed front office influence would be 'maddening' as teammate, NBA legend says
James had long been rumored to influence the front offices of the teams he's played for
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Basketball Hall of Famer John Stockton took a shot at LeBron James and how the Los Angeles Lakers superstar would allegedly give voice to a team’s front office when making roster decisions.
Stockton made his remarks on the latest episode of the "DNP-CD Sports" podcast and talked about James’ supposed influence on front offices.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Utah Jazz legend John Stockton was critical of LeBron James. (Getty Images)
"I don’t know what it’s like to sit in that front office and have things (dictated) to you like a plan, and it appears that LeBron is," the Utah Jazz legend said.
"I don’t know for sure that he is, but it appears so. I think it would be maddening as a teammate to know that you can be expendable for one of his guys that he thinks he needs to play with. The iffiness it causes with the team, the iffiness that it causes upstairs. I don’t like it . . . I’m not a fan of it."
James’ influence has been long rumored to go up to the front office. Aside from "King James," the NBA world has called him "LeGM" for allegedly pulling the strings behind the scenes to get players to come to his teams.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Former Utah Jazz player, John Stockton talks to the media during a press conference before the New York Knicks game against the Utah Jazz on March 22, 2017, at vivint.SmartHome Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images)
Kyrie Irving spoke about it on an episode of the "I AM ATHLETE" podcast last year.
"Yeah Bron was behind the scenes . . . what’s his nickname? LeGM?" the former Cleveland Cavaliers point guard said. "He put the squad together! I wasn’t mad at him . . . I was like ‘Alright, bet. This is how it goes.’"
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Lakers team owner Jeannie Buss told the Los Angeles Times last year denied James and Klutch Sports were calling the shots in the front office.
LeBron James (6) of the Los Angeles Lakers stands on the court during the second quarter against the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference finals Game 4 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Monday, May 22, 2023. (AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
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"Do they have final say? No. Are they running the team? No, no, not at all," Buss said. "I am controlling owner of the Los Angeles Lakers, I’m held accountable for every decision that’s made here."