NBA insider provides eye-opening quote about the sacrifices Kevin Love has made to play with LeBron James
- LeBron James and Kevin Love have had a successful partnership overall, but it hasn't always been easy for Love.
- ESPN's Brian Windhorst said on Bill Simmons' podcast that Love has left games "beleaguered and beaten down" because of James or the pressure of playing with him.
- According to Windhorst, Love thinks it's all worthwhile to compete for championships with James.
Kevin Love's transition from being the No. 1 guy with the Minnesota Timberwolves to a LeBron James sidekick with the Cleveland Cavaliers hasn't always been the easiest.
Love has at times struggled to play without the ball as much, reduced to being a spot-up threat rather than posting or facing up and playmaking from the elbows, as he did with the Wolves.
In their first year together, James famously sub-tweeted Love, saying he needed to learn to "fit in," and seemingly left him out of team pictures.
Fast-forward four years and the Love-James partnership is about as successful as one could imagine. Love is on a max contract, has made two All-Star games, and been to three straight championships with James. They may not be perfect together, but it's hard to argue that it hasn't worked.
However, ESPN's Brian Windhorst revealed on Bill Simmons' podcast that playing alongside James has at times taken a toll on Love. Windhorst said there had been days when Love left games feeling "beleaguered and beaten down" from James.
"Kyrie [Irving] opted out of what Love is dealing with," Windhorst said. "Love deals with the persecution of being a LeBron teammate, of being blamed, of dealing with his social media undercutting, of being the fall guy, as he's called himself ... There have been so many days and nights where Kevin Love has walked out of a building feeling beleaguered or beaten down either directly because of LeBron or [indirectly]."
However, Windhorst said that Love insists that it's all worth it because playing with James also means playing late into the season and competing for championships.
"I have to give Kevin a real, major hat-tip for being a professional and being an adult about it," Windhorst said. "He has always seen the big picture ... He has always maintained that this is all worth it. That playing in these late games - I mean, this is a guy who played for six years, whatever it was, never sniffed the playoffs [with the Wolves]. He's like, 'This is where I'm at right now. This is the charge for playing with [James].'"
Windhorst noted that Love this season opened up about his struggles with anxiety and stress to promote mental wellness.
It's not the first time people have revealed that it can be difficult playing alongside James, but worthwhile.
Former Cavs forward Richard Jefferson told Fox Sports 1 that James is one of the best "camaraderie" teammates he's ever had, precisely because it can be challenging to play with him. James can be both demanding and harsh on teammates but works to establish off-court chemistry to signify that it isn't personal.