Michael Jordan Decided He Had To Beat LeBron To Win The NBA Title, So He Signed LeBron's Greatest Agitator
The Hornets made a huge leap last year, and this year that trend should continue.
In an interview with ESPN's Darren Rovell, Jordan talked about the reason he signed Stephenson, and his explanation is pretty telling.
Jordan said that to win a title you have to beat LeBron James, and he wanted to sign Stephenson because he has a history of playing LeBron tough.
Here's what he told ESPN about why he signed Stephenson:
"We need someone that can compete against LeBron, simple as that. I don't know if the antics were one of those things. But the thing was, I love the way you compete against LeBron. To me that's a plus, because if you want to get out of the East, if you want to get past Cleveland - at the time it was Miami - you've got to beat LeBron. So we were willing to take a gamble on you if you're willing to take a gamble on us. Next thing you know he's with us."
Stephenson and LeBron have a history. They've met in the playoffs in each of the last three seasons. Stephenson's Pacers lost all three of those series, but he played LeBron with a fearlessness you don't often see from young players.
The "antics" Jordan was referring to came in Game 5 of the 2014 Eastern Conference Finals when Lance blew (yes, blew) in LeBron's ear (via @cjzero):
After the game, which the Pacers won 93-90, Heat player Ray Allen called it "buffoonery."
LeBron downplayed the strange incident (via IndyStar):
"We put ourselves in a position to win tonight, and as competitors, as professionals, that's what we are. We need one more game to get to the Finals. All the extra, whatever Lance wants to deal with, I don't really care about that."
Earlier this summer Stephenson said he ultimately regretted the ear-blowing thing, saying, "I feel like it overshadowed my play on the court. I bring more to the table than just blowing in someone's ear. I'm a great player."
Stephenson is right. LeBron only scored seven points in that game, but all anyone remembers is the blow.
Two years before this, when Lance was still a bench player during the 2012 playoffs, he first ignited the feud with LeBron by making a choking gesture toward him after he missed a free throw:
