LeBron James Soothes Scared NBA Veteran After the Latter Bares “Painful” Reality: “True Leader and King”

Who doesn’t have regrets? Former Phoenix Suns guard Rex Chapman had the worst day of his life when he was arrested in 2014 for unexpected reasons. Fast forward to 2024, Chapman’s life has taken a bright turn, and getting his flowers from NBA’s scoring leader LeBron James must feel like the icing on the cake. Well, it’s safe to say Chapman pulled off a comeback in his life like how James did with Cleveland back in 2016!

The 56-year-old decided to write a book, ‘It’s Hard for Me to Live with Me’, which has hit the markets now. The former Kentucky star revealed that this is a memoir in which he has showcased his recovery from addiction. And well, LeBron James couldn’t have been more proud of him. 

The Los Angeles Lakers superstar tweeted, “Congrats on the book my guy!! And you’re awesome to be able to overcome your shortcomings and obstacles life put in front of you! True leader and King…Definitely supporting & ordering your book!” What’s a bigger honor than being crowned as a King by LeBron James? This left Chapman speechless. 

He replied to the 4x champion’s unexpected tweet, “Bronny’s Dad! MY LeBron James. Love, bro. Always.” This is indeed one of the biggest days of Chapman’s life. However, to make it here, the struggles he went through would be a nightmare for anyone else. 

Why was Rex Chapman arrested and why did he consider himself “toxic”? 

In 2014, Chapman was arrested for shoplifting in an Apple store. After pleading guilty to four theft charges, he was given 18 months of supervised probation. Soon after this, he joined a mental health and addiction treatment service hospital in Kentucky, where he faced some of the darkest times of his life. He had his first emotional breakdown when his former friend came to visit him. He claimed himself to be “toxic” and also believed that his life was over. 

Read more: Rex Chapman Reveals How Shaquille O’Neal Publicly Called Out a Young Kobe Bryant After a Loss

His friend Rick Pitino gave him some motivation and asked him to be patient. In a recent interview, Chapman said, “The biggest thing for me is sitting in my emotions because for so long when something sad or bad (happened), something made me angry, I would go and take dr*gs.” Thus the title, It’s Hard for Me to Live with Me.

Read more: Former NBA Star Reveals Stand on 71-Year-Old Hall of Famer’s Fierce Michael Jordan Claim

In the last 10 years, Chapman worked on himself to get back in a good and respectful position, and now here he is getting his flowers from LeBron James! What are your thoughts on this? Share your take in the comments below.