Blamed for forming a super team in the Miami Heat but rarely credited for carrying one on his own—LeBron James. But did the 4x NBA champ carry individual careers on his shoulders as well? Well, it won’t come as a surprise considering the legend he is, but the name dropped in by Kendrick Perkins is no ordinary one. If anything, he was somewhat of a face of the New Jersey Nets for 7 seasons.

Richard Jefferson. During the TikTok challenge—where one person jogs while another roasts them in the style of a police broadcast—Jefferson, Perkins, and Chiney Ogwumike each took turns in the spotlight. Perkins got playful jabs about his own fitness, and Chiney was teased for her speed. And then it was Jefferson’s turn to be the suspect. “Suspect can be seen running on LeBron’s shoulders… My bad, Squidward,” Perk hilariously said.

Notably, Jeff’s prime years were with the New Jersey Nets, where he put up an impressive 17.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Even hitting over 20 points per game in two seasons. But by the time he joined Cleveland Cavaliers, he was averaging around 5 points per game. Definitely not leading-man numbers anymore. So it can be said that Jefferson would not have had 2015-16 championship to his name if it was not for a big name alongside. LeBron James in this case. But let’s be honest, it was not just Jefferson.

Bron carried the entire team to the title win. Especially, the stats and figures in the Finals series point to this notion. LeBron led — not just the Cavs, but also his opponents — in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks. Something that, as per ESPN, no player had done in any playoff series before. Those 109 points combined from his Game 5, 6, and 7 heroics say it all. And yes, that’s the most any player has scored in a comeback from a 3-1 deficit.

And if you need more proof, LeBron James was responsible for 57 percent of the Cavs’ scoring in the last three games. That’s not just a stat, but a testament to his single-handed dominance through the Finals series. And when it came to defense as well, King James held the Golden State Warriors to just 36 percent shooting. Even locking down Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson when it counted.

Clearly, it was not just RJ but the entire Cavs that were counting primarily upon the 4x NBA champ. Jefferson, however, has expressed a great amount of gratitude to Bron for his career.

Richard Jefferson tributes his NBA career to LeBron James

Jefferson looks back at his NBA journey with a mixture of gratitude and humor. And if there’s one person he credits for his ultimate success, it’s Bron. After a career packed with thrilling highs and humbling lows, RJ finally reached the pinnacle of the game in Cleveland. All thanks to his superstar teammate. “I owe my entire basketball career to him,” RJ admitted once, as noted by SLAM Online.

When Jefferson reflected on his career, he didn’t just remember the victories but the near-misses, too. Imagine losing the national championship to Duke, only to face more heartbreak with back-to-back NBA Finals losses. Just when things seemed to turn, he fell to the Detroit Pistons in the playoffs after being up 3-2, and then again to Miami, only to watch them go on to win the title.

“Then I had a stretch of six to seven years where you become a little bit of a journeyman. To be able to get on a team and walk in with a guy that says he’s going to be able to carry you and bring me here, I owe everything, every shot, every play, everything I’ve ever done to that man (Bron),” Jeff said, as per Deadspin. So the chances are thin that he’d actually take any offense to Perkins’ light heart roast against him using LeBron James.