Did Lebron See More Success When He Wasn’t Playing Co-Manager?

Chris Broussard from “The Odd Couple” believes Lebron James’ tenure on the Miami Heat was successful because it was a team managed and constructed by Pat Riley.

When LeBron James took his talents to South Beach in 2010, it kickstarted his collection of championships.

Once joining forces with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, the trio made four straight NBA finals appearances. They won back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013.

At the time, it was widely understood that Pat Riley was at the helm of the Heat organization and had final say in any roster moves. It was an authority that James had to respect.

After parting ways with the Heat in 2014, James had a say in most of the team's moves. He played a large role in building championship rosters with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016 and Los Angeles Lakers in 2020. 

However, Chris Broussard of “The Odd Couple” points out James hasn’t seen consistent success since his time in Miami.

“LeBron, the most success he ever had in one franchise was Miami,” Broussard said. “And that was because the organization did not let him dictate what they were gonna do. … Pat Riley has more cache than most people, Rob Pelinka (in Los Angeles) or Sean Marks in Brooklyn.”

If Broussard had any advice to share with the Lakers it would be to tear a page out of Riley’s book, and leave roster moves to the front office. 

Corey Holmes is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He is a film and television graduate from Notre Dame and has a master's degree in journalism from Morgan State. He can reached at coreyrholmes4@gmail.com or on Twitter @coreyholmes4