As great of a basketball player as LeBron James is, a knock on his character over the years has been his people skills. Perhaps the most appropriate example that embodies that is the Los Angeles Lakers' inability to get along with some teammates, particularly during his second stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers .
As many remember, James displayed his infamous passive-aggressive treatment of Kevin Love during their first season together. It was at that time when LeBron posted the fit-out-and-fit-in subtweet that was supposedly targeted at Love, who was hurt by the move.
"That hurt my feelings," he said about the social media post in 2020 in an appearance on "Pardon My Take." "I was majority that guy. It's like 80 percent Kevin Love, eight percent Dion Waiters, three percent Kyrie Irving."
Love was out of his comfort zone
According to Love, he took James' post personally even if he wasn't specifically mentioned because he knew no one else fit the message of the subtweet better.
However, the five-time All-Star also explained why it was tough for him at that time because, among all the Cavs' newcomers in the 2014-15 campaign, he had to make the most adjustments.
Love was fresh off a second All-NBA Second-Team berth and being the No. 1 option. Coming off a season where he averaged 26.1 points and 12.5 rebounds per game with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Kevin's numbers dipped drastically to 16.4 points and 9.7 rebounds per contest.
The former star big man also said that all he wanted was recognition for his sacrifice. But what he got was different from what he expected.
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All love now
Of course, everything is well now between the former teammates. After all, they went to four straight Finals together and won a title together. It was also fitting that Love was the first guy Bron hugged the moment Cleveland defeated the Golden State Warriors in Game 7 of the 2016 Finals.
The former No. 5 pick should also be credited to this day for how he adjusted playing next to James. He once talked about the difficulties of playing with the four-time MVP, but the fact that he withstood the challenges and didn't force his way out of the Cavs was certainly admirable.
A lingering question now is whether Love will eventually end up in the Hall of Fame like his buddy. Even though he was able to add a championship to his resume after suiting up next to LeBron, the decline of his production earlier than anticipated and the lack of personal accolades stemming from it may have affected his chances.
Even so, the Miami Heat veteran probably wouldn't trade the experience of playing with his "brother" for the world.
Related: "We could've run it back" - Kevin Love on Cavaliers' title chances if Kyrie Irving didn't request a trade
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