Former NBA superstar Kevin Garnett made some bold claims about LeBron James during a recent appearance on the Bill Simmons Podcast, particularly about LeBron's departure from Cleveland. According to Garnett, it was his Celtics that "broke" LeBron and forced him to flee Cleveland in favor of Miami.
KG's inflammatory comments had #NBATwitter in a frenzy on Wednesday and we're sure the discussion will continue as LeBron's Lakers prepare to battle the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night. ESPN's Stephen A. Smith recently addressed Garnett's comments, and he made it clear that he will defend LeBron to the grave.
As seen in the clip embedded above, it appears as though Smith was alluding to the rumors about former Cavs guard Delonte West's alleged affair with LeBron's mother as one of the main reasons the four-time MVP left Cleveland the first time, not because of his inability to deal with the Celtics.
"There were personal issues going on with LeBron James and his teammates. He was disrespected and he was flat out betrayed," says Smith. He adds, "He was betrayed by some of his teammates and that Cleveland organization, and that played a role in why he left Cleveland to go to Miami."
In case you missed it, here's what KG had to say about the Celtics' rivalries with LeBron (H/T SportsCenter), "We broke LeBron... You understand how he got to Miami?" He added, "The Cs, we didn't give a fuck about LeBron. We didn't fear LeBron and we didn't think that he could beat all five of us. And that's how it felt. He was trying to consolidate because he didn't want the pressure on him."
Check out Garnett's full thoughts in the video clip embedded below.