LeBron James has made it to nine NBA Finals, including a remarkable eight in a row from 2011 to 2018. He’s won four titles, four Finals MVPs, and several other accolades. Now, King James has just turned 40 and is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. But, he wasn’t alone in this remarkable journey. Do you know who’s been with him through it all?

It’s his oldest confidant, Randy Mims. He’s also the chief of staff of most of James’ ventures, but before any of that, he’s been his closest friend. Together, they pursued one goal: surpassing Michael Jordan, LeBron’s ideal. But, by no means did the two friends think it was going to be an easy ride.

But Mims knew it wouldn’t be easy. Before embarking on this path, he sought advice from someone who had been close to MJ himself: George Koehler, Jordan’s trusted assistant. “I was young and pulling at him,” Mims recalled. “I was like, ‘What can you give me, man? I just need advice.’ “And it was like, ‘What can you give me, man? I just need [advice].’ Like, ‘You got Michael Jordan.” Well, the advice Koehler gave to Mims, he’ll take that to his grave.

“It’s never about you, bro,” Koehler told him. “It’s never about you.” Since then, Mims has never “made it about him.” While on an episode of “More than an Athlete” LeBron appreciated Mims’ role in his life saying, “Randy keeps the whole thing going. That’s for sure.” Well, although it’s true and anyone would’ve taken credit for it. However, Mims said, “It’s not about me,” the same words once Koehler told him. He further stated nobody was paying to see him and that he left his ego at the door years ago. That’s how deeply Mims to this day resonated with those four words.

As LeBron Grew, Mims had to Grow too

Keeping the four golden words in mind, Mims managed all the basketball-centric needs of LeBron as he set out on his NBA journey. This included everything from his pre-game meals to driving him to practice. The initial days were pretty chill, however, everything was about to change not just for LeBron but also for his best friend.

At the time James just had two partners Nike and Coca-Cola, and Mims worked with them regularly. But, as more deals started to flood in Mims had to improvise himself and his demand grew at a rapid pace. “As LeBron grew, I had to grow too,” Mims said. “And the way I grew was making sure everything was efficiently run so that he looked good.” For LeBron, Mims learned how commercials worked, what the brands wanted for the NBA star and everything he could do that would ensure James had no issues whatsoever.

Everything around Mims was moving too fast but that didn’t stop his grit as he did everything. So much so, that even when James hired a driver, they had to go through Mims first. LeBron’s co-pilot has learned a lot since it started in Cleveland, then Miami, and now in Los Angeles. While everyone appreciates LeBron’s success and longevity, behind the curtains Mims continues to do his job because once a wise said “It’s not about you.”