LeBron James Sought Help From 1990s Superstar To Improve Post Game

NBA great Hakeem Olajuwon has always viewed it as giving back.

Since retiring, he has worked with several players on their post game. The emphasis is mainly footwork, which Olajuwon displayed often during his Hall of Fame playing days.

In 2011, he took on the challenge of developing LeBron James. At the time, James was searching for his first championship with the Miami Heat.

“I saw all of the moves we worked on,” Olajuwon told the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “When you work with a player, the satisfaction is in knowing that now, when it counts, when it is valued, he is executing.”

James sought help because he had just finished a subpar performance in a loss to the Dallas Mavericks in the 2011 NBA Finals. He was mostly ineffective because the team was still adjusting to playing with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. At times, the Mavs defended James with guard JJ Barea.

While Barea only guarded a few possessions, James’ struggles in the post quickly became the narrative.

James never became dominant in the post but the training sessions with Olajuwon did contribute to an improved offensive game. James led the Heat to two titles before winning a couple more with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers.

“When we started to work on all the drills of the post, at the beginning there were some moves that he was not used to,” Olajuwon told the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “That was challenging for him. As great of an athlete as he is, some moves he’s not comfortable with.”