For a fleeting moment, LeBron James entered free agency, and we heard that every team in the league was in the mix. Even the Celtics, who have been arguably the biggest rival of James over the course of his career, which is well into a third decade, made it onto Rich Paul’s infamous whiteboard, which had some fans daring to dream.
The fact that Paul had written “Tatum + Brad” on that whiteboard was certainly interesting and raised a few eyebrows, but as someone who has been rooting against LeBron since 2003, the idea of James actually suiting up in a Celtics uniform always felt wrong on so many levels.
Windhorst claims LeBron "hates" Boston
And apparently, according to Brian Windhorst and Dave McMenamin of ESPN, the feeling is mutual. On the latest episode of the Hoop Collective podcast, they were discussing all of the suitors for James, and where they would rank, and when debating which two teams may not have reached out, they got to the Celtics, and Windy had this to say:
“I think Boston would rank 30th on his list; I really honestly do. He hates Boston.”
Celtics fans may get angry or not want to hear this, but they shouldn’t. This is how it should be. Boston has essentially been at war with LeBron for 20 years. Boston hates LeBron. And LeBron hates Boston. And that’s how it will always be.
He battled with the Big 3 during his first stint in Cleveland, arguably leaving the Cavaliers because he couldn’t get over the hump against the Celtics. So he fled to Miami, where the wars with Boston only intensified over the next few years, before going back to Cleveland and facing Boston three more times in the playoffs.
James will continue his rivalry with Boston wherever he goes
Then, to cap it off, he finally leaves the Eastern Conference only to go to the Celtics’ most hated rival of all, the Lakers, where he has spent the last eight seasons. This guy has made a living as one of the greatest basketball players to ever live, and for the entirety of that span, he has done it as an antagonist to the Celtics.
And Boston wouldn’t want it any other way. Now, it seems he’s got one more run in him, and he’s going to close his career on another enemy of the Celtics, either the Cavaliers, Heat, 76ers, or Warriors.
So fear not, Celtics fans. You won’t have to wrestle with your emotions and moral compass today. You can keep on hating LeBron and rooting against him in peace. He’ll stay an enemy of the Celtics, and that’s the only appropriate ending for this story. Hopefully, the Celtics get to see him in the playoffs and end his season, and maybe even career, once and for all.
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