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Kenny Smith reveals the advice he gave LeBron James in 2009 | Draymond Green Show

26 Jan 2023 · 1 min

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In a segment of the Draymond Green Show, former NBA player and analyst Kenny Smith recounts a candid conversation he had with LeBron James during a 2009 movie tour when LeBron was the league MVP but had not yet won a championship. Smith emphasizes the importance of honesty and constructive criticism, noting that LeBron was the first NBA star he felt could accept such feedback. He tells a specific anecdote where he told LeBron that his back‑to‑the‑basket game was merely average and that he often passed up his best shot for a more difficult one, urging him to take the open shot. Smith reflects on how this honest dialogue was possible because LeBron was receptive, and he ties the moment to a broader point about surrounding people changing rather than oneself. Draymond Green interjects, agreeing that honesty wins in the studio. The segment blends personal storytelling with broader insights about mentorship, criticism, and personal growth in professional sports.

There's a saying that you know already, like, has Draymond Green changed when he's gotten, you know, these big contracts?
Nah, it's usually the people around you change. That's a fact. That's a fact. I ain't changing. Like, the one thing I know about you, just because you come into the studio, you know, guys come in on a regular to our studio, the honesty wins.
Like—
That's a fact.
Honesty. You ain't gotta be brutal and be, you know, like you don't have to be condescending.
But no, like, bro, this is really what I see, you know?
And I knew it was different.
And I know if this guy took criticism, then anybody could.
Two guys, honestly.
But LeBron was the first guy.
I went on tour with him when he was, when that movie came out about his life.
So they asked me to MC in all of these different cities. And he had won the MVP. They didn't win the championship that year. But now he got a movie made about his life.
So he's talking, we in the back. You know how we are, everybody's in the back, you start talking. He's like, man, what do you, you know, Kenny, what do you see?
And I said, LeBron, like, I don't know if you're gonna hear what I'm saying. He's like, "What do you mean I'm not gonna hear what you're saying, Kenny?" He's like, "Because," I said, "because you're the greatest player in the world right now. You got a movie made about your life that I'm MCing, and you still got holes in your game." And sometimes, I said, and there's a, and I said, "There's a saying that my dad used to always tell me." And he used to say, "It's hard to work hard when you're sleeping in silk robes." "and I don't know if you sleeping in silk robes." So he's like, "No, no, tell me." I said, "The one thing I see is like, your back to the basket game is just average." I said, "And at times you pass up an open shot for a greater shot, but the greatest shot is your open shot." Yeah.
Now, I don't know if he one ear out the other and he just did that naturally, but I'm able to tell him that and he was able to respond to it. This is the MVP of the league at that time. So I'm like, I can tell him that. I'm gonna tell anybody, anybody.
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