LeBron James Names One of the Best NBA Defenders He Ever Faced Without Hesitation
LeBron James Names One of the Best NBA Defenders He Ever Faced Without Hesitation originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
LeBron James entered the NBA in 2003 straight out of high school. The Cleveland Cavaliers drafted him with the No. 1 overall pick in the loaded 2003 NBA Draft, which featured future Hall of Famers Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.
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James has played for the Cavaliers (twice), Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Lakers. He has won four MVPs, four championships, four Finals MVPs, one scoring title and one assists title.
A top 75 player of all time, James is the leading scorer in NBA history. He has scored the most points in the regular season and postseason despite playing some elite defenders.
On the latest "Mind the Game" episode with Steve Nash, a fan asked James and Nash who the greatest defensive players they faced were.
LeBron James gave Ron Artest his flowers. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
James, 40, went with Ron Artest, who is now known as Metta World Peace.
"Ron Artest was, you know, Metta World Peace now, oh my goodness, really good with his hands," James said. "Latterly was really good. Strong as an ox. You know, I played against him my early years when he was in Indiana.
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"I mean, you know, it was challenging, you know, for sure. You know, it was one of the best defenders probably I've played against."
Artest won the 2004 Defensive Player of the Year Award with the Indiana Pacers. He made four All-Defensive Teams during his 17-year career.
A one-time All-Star, Artest played for the Chicago Bulls, Pacers, Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets, Lakers (twice) and Knicks. He helped Los Angeles with the 2010 championship against the Boston Celtics.
In 991 NBA games, Artest averaged 13.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.5 blocks.
Related: LeBron James Urged to Make 'Substantial Sacrifice' for Lakers Next Season
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 17, 2025, where it first appeared.
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