LeBron James reveals 'scary' weight of expectations from media at a young age

LeBron James is a rare case when it comes to pro athletes, as his massive expectations were set at a very young age. Looking back on it now, the NBA star opened up on what it was like to face such pressure as a teenager.

Dating back to his time in high school, LeBron was dubbed as a player who go on to be an all-time great. While he's managed to reach the high bar set for him, he didn't shy away from how scary it was at the start.

On Wednesday morning, LeBron James joined the Pat McAfee show to discuss a wide range of topics. Among the things brought up was having such a big spotlight before he even stepped foot in the pros. The LA Lakers forward admitted it was flattering, but it also did weigh on him.

"My first game on national television," James said. "It was like will he be one of the one-name guys that ever played this game."

"It was a compliment to be able to be in the names of those guys, but it was also like super f***** scary."

Fast forward over two decades later, and LeBron James has managed to back up all the hype that surrounded him when he was first making the jump to the NBA.

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LeBron James jabs at the current state of NBA media

After diving into how the media treated him at the start of his career, LeBron James talked about the current landscape of professional basketball. Later on during his interview with Pat McAfee, the star forward jabbed at some of the talking heads around the game today.

As expected, the LA Lakers trading for Luka Doncic was brought up during LeBron's appearance. While on the topic, McAfee touched on the doubters who didn't think the two stars were going to be able to co-exist with one another.

In response to this, LeBron James didn't hold back with his thoughts on the knowledge of those who cover the NBA.

"Must be the idiots that don't know the game of basketball," LeBron said. "Oh my goodness there's so many of those guys."

"The talking heads of our sport, it's a lot."

These comments come on the heels of LeBron's viral interaction with Stephen A. Smith a few weeks back. He approached the ESPN host while he was courtside at a Lakers game and proceeded to lash out against him. LeBron was seen visibly upset as he spoke to Stephen A. regarding comments he made about his son Bronny James.

As for the critics who questioned LeBron's fit alongside Doncic, the duo has managed to lay any doubts to rest. They quickly figured out how to thrive together, and because of this, the Lakers find themselves battling for a top-three seed in the Western Conference.