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It’s an understatement that LeBron James is no stranger to heavy criticism for ditching one team for another, and as the team prepare to play a preseason game against the Brooklyn Nets it appears he’s still exercising some of those demons.
He called out the hypocrisy of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce for ripping on Ray Allen for leaving the Celtics to play for the Heat only to ditch Boston themselves the next season for Brooklyn.
Last season Pierce claimed he hadn’t forgiven Allen for the move, while Garnett proclaimed he’d lost Allen’s phone number. Doc Rivers, Boston’s former head coach who also ditched the team for the Clippers, also implied Allen had ego problems.
From ESPN:
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“I think the first thing I thought was, ‘Wow, Ray got killed for leaving Boston, and now these guys are leaving Boston,'” James said. “I think it’s OK; I didn’t mind it. But there were a couple guys who basically [expletive] on Ray for leaving, and now they’re leaving.“That’s the nature of our business, man. I don’t know what Boston was going through at the end of the day. I know Ray had to make the best decision for him and his family and his career. Doc, KG and Paul did that as well. You can’t criticize someone who does something that’s best for their family.”
Dwyane Wade also chimed in.
“People say things about people when they do something when they themselves would do the same thing,” he told ESPN. “It’s about putting yourself in the best situation, and at the end of the day, we all do that. You can’t really say anything about someone that does it for themselves.”
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