LeBron James says he has no rivals.
Sorry, but one man cannot be labeled "The Chosen One" as a teenager, jump to the NBA from high school, play 14 seasons, win three titles, announce his free agency destination on a TV special, announce another free agency destination in a first-person article and sign a $1 billion contract with a sponsor and without creating some enemies along the way. During his career, LeBron James has had plenty of rivals, some friendly and some legitimately hostile.
We narrowed the list down to 23 people, all of whom are NBA personnel (players, coaches, executives), so no, Skip Bayless and Dave Portnoy did not make the list. This must also be a two-way rivalry, so no Stanley Johnson for saying he was in LeBron's head after a first-round Game 2. James does not have time for such petty rivalries. Longevity was also valued. So no, J.J. Barea does not earn a spot for two nights in June, although that sounds like a great documentary title.
Thanks to all Twitter users who helped answer this tweet to make sure we did not leave anyone glaring off the list.
Quote this with your favorite LeBron James rival of his career
— Jeff Eisenband (@JeffEisenband) May 23, 2017
A great answer who did not make the cut is Lenny Cooke, the highly touted early 2000s high school recruit, who attempted to jump to the NBA out of high school in 2002, went undrafted and never made an NBA roster. Cooke and James were mega-recruits at the same time, and as legend has it, Cooke came to ABCD Camp, a gathering for elite high school prospects, in 2001 as the defending MVP. He beat Carmelo Anthony's group at the camp and was set to battle James' squad. James proceeded to crush Cooke's team and take over the throne as top high school recruit.
"He beat Lenny on his own tuft," former Nike executive and ABCD founder Sonny Vaccaro recalls. "I mean, you can say it was one shot, one game, but in a way, Lenny never recovered."
The NBA has thrown its fair share of Lenny Cookes at LeBron James. And for the most part, he has fended off his rivals. These are the 23 who have challenged James and at least made a storyline out of it.
23. Kyle Lowry And DeMar DeRozan (2015-2017, Peak 2015-2017)
Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images
22. Ricky Davis (2003-2010, Peak 2003)
Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images
21. Paul Millsap, Al Horford, Jeff Teague and Kyle Korver (2014-2016, Peak, 2014-2015)
Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
20. Erik Spoelstra (2010-2014, Peak 2010-2011)
Marc Serota/Getty Images
19. Delonte West (2010-Present, Peak 2010-2011)
Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images
18. Tayshaun Prince (2003-2013, Peak 2006-2007)
Dave Sandford/Getty Images
17. Mo Williams (2010-2015, Peak 2010-2011)
Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
16. David Blatt (2014-Present, Peak 2014-2016)
Harry How/Getty Images
15. Gilbert Arenas (2005-2008, Peak 2006)
Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
14. Dan Gilbert (2010-2014, Peak 2010-2014)
Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
13. Stephen Curry (2015-present, Peak 2015-present)
Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
12. Dirk Nowitzki (2011-present, Peak 2011)
Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images
11. Draymond Green (2015-present, Peak 2016-present)
Jason Miller/Getty Images
10. DeShawn Stevenson (2007-2011, Peak 2008)
Drew Hallowell/Getty Images
9. Kevin Durant (2009-present, Peak 2011-present)
Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
8. Dwight Howard (2007-2012, Peak 2008-2011)
Jeff Haynes-Pool/Getty Images
7. Derrick Rose And Joakim Noah (2009-present, Peak 2010-2015)
Jason Miller/Getty Images
6. Paul George (2012-present, Peak 2012-2014)
Andy Lyons/Getty Images
5. Kobe Bryant (2003-2016, Peak 2007-2010)
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
4. Lance Stephenson (2013-present, Peak 2013-2014)
Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images
3. Gregg Popovich, San Antonio Spurs (2007-Present, Peak 2013-2014)
Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
2. Carmelo Anthony (2003-present, Peak 2003-2014)
Getty Images
1. Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo (2007-2012, Peak 2007-2012)
Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images
-- Follow Jeff Eisenband on Twitter @JeffEisenband. Like Jeff Eisenband on Facebook.
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