LeBron James has spent his career with a spotlight glued to him. And when he joins a team, that spotlight doesn’t just stay on him. It engulfs the entire roster, turning them into a title-or-bust team.
Naturally, that spotlight brings big pressure for his teammates. Playing with LeBron gives you less room to slip up, and you have to deliver when it’s big. Fans want production and wins, and anything less gets you flak.
Iman Shumpert, who shared the court with LeBron during his second run in Cleveland, knows exactly what that feels like. They won a title together in 2016. Shumpert was a key piece on defense and brought toughness off the bench. But looking back, he didn’t sugarcoat the mental toll it took.
Per ESPN Today:
“To give it context, yes, it does suck,” Shumpert stated. “There’s a ridiculous amount of pressure that comes with it because you have to be in a win-now mindset every time you play on his team. He is always expected to be at the top.”
