Many accused LeBron James of failing to improve on his God-given talents after the Heat lost the 2011 NBA Finals to the Dallas Mavericks. So ‘Bron went out and worked on his game, including his low-post footwork, like he does in this video that’s surfaced showing a hungry, pre-title ‘Bron working on his spin move with Hakeem Olajuwon.
The summer of 2011 was a watershed for LeBron. Earlier that summer, Dirk Nowitzki‘s Dallas Mavericks team became the only one to successfully defeat the triumviate of Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and LeBron James in a seven-game series.
Since this video was shot, LeBron has added a mid-range jumper that helped Miami win game 7 of the NBA Finals against San Antonio this past year, and a low-post game that helped Miami advance in seven games against Boston in 2012 and Indiana this year in the Eastern Conference Finals. LeBron’s got two championship rings since working out with the Dream, and you can telll he’s soaking up every syllable of wisdom from Hakeem in this fascinating clip.
Maybe that’s why guys like Andre Drummond plan to train with Hakeem, and why Amar’e Stoudemire keeps coming back to him every off-season. We recommend JaVale McGee give him a ring to set something up for later in August. LeBron’s two rings (and counting) are proof enough of Dream’s bonafides as a consultant.
Which facet of LeBron’s game has improved the most since that 2011 Finals loss to Dallas?
Follow Spencer on Twitter at @countcenci.
Follow Dime on Twitter at @DimeMag.
Become a fan of Dime Magazine on Facebook HERE.
