Accused of “Cheating” Due to LeBron James, Udonis Haslem’s Humbling Confession Fails to Comfort Ex-Rival

LeBron James‘ alleged weak moment from the past still seems to follow him. The King formed a super-team of sorts alongside Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, later termed as ‘The Big Three’. Some perceived this as unfair to other teams and against the spirit of competition in the NBA. And ex-Atlanta Hawks guard Jeff Teague seems to agree with this chain of thought.

“Y’all team was cheating, though. Let’s keep it real. I remember when Bron came to Miami, everybody was like this sh*t weak,” said Teague, appearing on an episode of ‘Club 520 Podcast’. This came in response to Heat icon Udonis Haslem’s recollection of Indiana Pacers and Heat rivalry. “We worried about the Pacers. We did,” Haslem stated. However, he admitted that the first time they beat them, they had a home ground advantage.

What followed in the news-papers was a series of claims that Pacers could have won if it was not for the Heat’s home ground advantage. “So next year, they got what they wanted…they got home court. And we made personal because we had just remembered that they were saying…Now y’all got home court. Now what y’all gonna do,” he said in the podcast.

This was the moment where Teague interjected with cheating allegations. However, he admitted to not being affected by what was being labeled as a weak move back then. “I ain’t give a f**k in my third year, I was like, I don’t care, I just want to hoop. I’m trying to get paid,” he said. However, Jeff recollects a moment he was at Joe Johnson’s house, where Joe stated the move as ‘weak’ on LeBron’s end.

Why was there controversy around LeBron James moving to Miami in 2010?

The core of the controversy was the supposed violation of an unwritten rule of the NBA community. At the time, the NBA world looked down upon players who left their teams for shinier opportunities. Additionally, players who were tempted toward star-studded line ups were labeled as weak for not being willing to make it on their own for their team.

Read More: NBA Rumors: LeBron James Could Return to Miami Heat After 10 Years on One Condition, Claims Analyst

LeBron James was no exception to these unwritten rules after switching from the team that drafted him, Cleveland Cavaliers, to Miami Heat. What drew even further criticism was ‘The Decision’, a publicized television special of the King’s announcement of the move. Many criticized the spectacle as being egotistical and disrespectful to his hometown of Cleveland.

Do you think that these unspoken standards of loyalty are still present? Comment down your opinion on LeBron moving to the Miami Heat back in 2010.