LeBron James has made a habit out of giving gifts to his Cleveland Cavaliers teammates. He recently gave them all customized Beats by Dre headphones, and gave them Apple Watches before the 2015 Finals. But his latest gift is arguably the coolest. According to the Cleveland Plain-Dealer‘s Chris Haynes, James presented each of his teammates with a customized, life-sized shield.
Each of his teammates was handed a personalized, handcrafted, life-size shield with each player’s nickname inscribed, I’ve learned. Also, the armor included a message referencing protection and unity, I’m told.
James’ friendly gesture elicited a thought-provoking conversation about the importance of unity and safekeeping while on the path to the Larry O’Brien trophy.
His present hit home.
After the Cavs’ blowout loss to the Golden State Warriors in Game 2 of the Finals on Sunday, a reporter asked James about the headphones, and the impact their message had on his team. He was annoyed by it.
“I give my teammates stuff throughout the whole year,” James said. “All the time. It’s no different. We understand the moment that we’re in, and it’s not — it’s not every year that you get an opportunity to be in this situation, you know? And some of the guys on our team, it’s their first time and they’ve waited their whole life to get to this point.”
These shields might not do much good against the Warriors, who look to be running away with the Finals. But it’s a great gesture, and it will be a nice keepsake for his teammates.
