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USA Today via Reuters

USA Today via Reuters

The Los Angeles Lakers are shifting gears as the regular season enters its final phase. With no less than ten teams involved in the race to clinch six guaranteed playoff spots, the Western Conference would surely witness a grandstand finish to the regular season. Of course, LeBron James and the Lakers are in the running. However, their performance has been very dull this season and they currently hold the tenth position in the Western Conference.

Having said that, the Lakers have performed significantly better in recent weeks. In fact, they have won seven out of their last ten games. The continued brilliance of LeBron James has been one of the key contributing factors behind the Lakers’ sharp uptick in performances and results. With the postseason right around the corner, James is hitting uncovering peak numbers once again just at the right moment. Thus, it is natural for the other teams to start sweating for their playoff berths.

Commenting on the matter, NBA legend Kevin Garnett recently said that only one team won’t be worried about LeBron James’ late acceleration. During the latest episode of All the Smoke podcast, KG claimed, “Listen, no team in the NBA want to see Bron. Unless you Denver, cause you got just as equal star power, you don’t want to see Bron. Nobody wants to see Bron. Bron come with the lead.” 

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However, it’s surprising to hear KG praise LeBron James just two days after he accused him of using steroids. During a conversation on the KG Certified podcast, he was asked if Bronny James could score a bucket on his dad in the NBA. Garnett disagreed and said, “His dad is on that BALCO, that new juice.” What do you make of this sudden change of stance from the NBA veteran? Pour your thoughts down in the comments.

Is LeBron really on the “new juice”?

While it’s possible that KG made this statement impulsively, it remains a significant accusation. Bay Area Laboratory Cooperative (BALCO) was a lab which was involved in providing athletes with anabolic-androgenic steroids from late 1990s until 2003. Apart from KG’s accusation, UFC fighter Chael Sonnen also accused LeBron of taking EPO (Erythropoietin) during an interview on the Flagrant 2 podcast. 

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Read More: LeBron James Reminisces About High School Partner’s Unfulfilled NBA Dreams: “That Boy Got Too Much Game”

LeBron’s name even popped up in the Biogenesis scandal, which is regarded till this day as the biggest PED scandal of the 21st century. However, it cannot be stressed enough that these are merely allegations made by individuals, and no concrete evidence has been provided to substantiate these claims. The NBA regularly conducts random blood tests in order to detect any use of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs), and LeBron has never been found to have used any PEDs throughout his career. What are your thoughts on the matter? Let us know in the comments below!