The landscape of the NBA changed forever during the 2010 offseason. That is when LeBron James made his decision to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers in free agency, joining the Miami Heat. It was, in the opinion of many people, the start of the superteam era.
James took his talents to South Beach, and Chris Bosh followed him in free agency. With Dwyane Wade already on the roster, the Heat were not instant contenders and the best team in the Eastern Conference.
While debates can be had about whether James really created superteams, he was the first to use free agency as the avenue to do so. Superteams in previous eras, where free agency didn’t exist or wasn’t as prevalent, were built through the NBA Draft.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Jeff Teague, LeBron James, Miami Heat Updates
No one is going to fault James for making a move that he felt would better his career. He was dealing with a superteam in the Boston Celtics, who were handed Kevin Garnett from the Minnesota Timberwolves and acquired Ray Allen in a trade with the Seattle SuperSonics.
Unable to get past Boston with Cleveland, James went to Miami to get the job done. It ended up working out for him and he would eventually return to the Cavaliers to get them their championship as well.
But, going to the Heat wasn’t a move that his peers had much respect for. In a recent episode of the OGs Show, former NBA All-Star Jeff Teague revealed how he and many players felt about the move James made.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Jeff Teague, LeBron James, Miami Heat Updates
“I remember when Bron went to Miami. Everyone was like, that s*** weak,” Teague said to Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller, two players who would play alongside James during his Heat tenure.
Teague was one of the players who were tortured by James throughout his reign over the Eastern Conference. His Atlanta Hawks were regularly fodder for James in the postseason, whether it was with the Heat or Cavaliers.
Had James not made the decision he did in 2010, when Teague was entering his second season in the NBA, his career could have turned out differently. There are a lot of players who were on the wrong side of James’s career as he tore through the Eastern Conference for 15 seasons.
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