It is not unusual for sportspersons to have bad times in their careers. NBA player LeBron James regarded by many as one of the greatest basketball players of all time was no different. The superstar faced a great deal of challenges in his 2010-2011 NBA season.
First of all, LeBron left Cleveland to join Miami Heat which got the people of Cleveland riled up. He faced a lot of backlash from the media and from the fans, who called him out for his loyalty and many of whom even burnt his jerseys.
It had been 7 years with Cleveland and LeBron had failed to win a championship with the team. The team dynamics and management were far from perfect so logically LeBron actually made the right move by joining the Heat.
LeBron initially seemed to be having the time of his life at the ‘Miami Heat Welcome Party’ where he talked about winning at at least 8 championships. The Heat managed to reach the Finals and ended up loosing to the Dallas Mavericks despite being up 2-1 in the Finals.
What was strange was the fact that James only scored 8 points in the Finals. He was missing shots, appeared passive and was the major reason for the Heat loosing the Finals.
It was quite bizarre that a 2 time regular season MVP at the time would perform like that especially in the Finals. He had had a great run in the regular season and also the playoffs, however him having a meltdown when it mattered the most left a lot of people baffled.
James was amongst the most hated personalities in USA at the time. He talked about how the hate he received changed him as a player and how it affected him mentally.
LeBron opens up about 2011 Finals
LeBron opened up about his situation after the major loss in 2011. He described that period as amongst the hardest times of his life. After the Finals he sat in his room for 2 weeks when he spoke to nobody.
He talked about how being referred to as ‘the villain’ was challenging for him since he was the liked guy since the beginning of his career. It was something that took a lot of time for him to adjust to.
LeBron made major improvements on his game in the post season and came back a much better player. The Miami Heat ended up winning the championships in the following years 2012 and 2013.
So, that was the story about LeBron and the 2010-11 NBA Season. Let me know your opinions in the comments below.
