Larry Sanders and LeBron James faced off a total of 14 times in the NBA.
LeBron James beat Larry Sanders 11-3, including a 4-0 record in the NBA playoffs.
Sanders had a chance to play with James when he signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers in March 2017, but only appeared in five games before being waived in April.
During his short tenure with the Cavaliers, Sanders noticed something that changed his perspective on James.
Sanders faced James several times during his career.
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The two teams played a close game in the opening game of the 2013 NBA Playoffs, with the Miami Heat defeating the Milwaukee Bucks 4-0.
Sanders said he always thought James complained about referees a lot, but after playing together in Cleveland, he realized James’ complaints were valid.
“I think it’s a tough job for a referee when you have players of that talent and size.
“When I played with LeBron in Cleveland and played against him, I thought, ‘He cries a lot.’
“Then you end up playing with him like, ‘I don’t have a voice for him,’ because he’s so strong and dominant.
“I think it’s the same with Giannis. If they called all the fouls, it would slow the game down a lot.”
Entering his 23rd season, James is looking to win his fifth NBA title and second NBA title with the Los Angeles Lakers.
James made his season debut against the Utah Jazz, scoring 11 points and dishing out 12 assists in 30 minutes.
For the first time in his career, James is not the centerpiece of the team, so that could actually help his chances.
The Lakers are currently the fourth seed in the West, but the Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets, and Oklahoma City Thunder all appear to have the upper hand.
The Lakers will likely have to beat two of these teams in the playoffs to make it to the NBA Finals, but that seems like a difficult task. So, at this point, it seems unlikely that James will win a fifth ring this season.