The NBA witnessed one of its most significant moments in 2010. The world tuned in to ESPN’s “The Decision” to watch one of the most anticipated moments in recent history. After 7 years in the NBA, “The Chosen One” LeBron James was about to make a pivotal decision. In a surreal series of events, James announced, “In this fall, I’m going to take my talents to South Beach and join the Miami Heat”. These words crushed the hearts of the Cleveland Cavaliers fans.

Free agency in the NBA changed after this moment. Players rampantly signed with other teams to chase championships. 13 years after this statement, however, the trend seems to have only increased. With players still chasing championships and signing with the strongest teams available, former Cavaliers forward, Richard Jefferson slammed the loyalty in the NBA.

LeBron James made a revolutionary move

LeBron James made one of the most significant “decisions” in 2010 to join the Miami Heat. This made him a “villain” in the eyes of the Cleveland Cavaliers fans. After serving the Cavaliers for 7 years, LeBron James decided to jump ship to form a “Big Three” in Miami. James had struggled to win the championship with the Cavaliers, despite leading them to several deep playoff runs. However, his fortunes changed when he joined the Miami Heat.

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After losing to the Dallas Mavericks in the 2011 NBA Finals with the Miami Heat, James struck gold back-to-back. He won his first-ever NBA championship and followed it up with another brilliant championship run the very next year. His success with the Heat made several NBA players think that moving to stronger teams was the best way to win championships.

This set off an unbelievable trend of ditching loyalty to play for stronger contenders, only growing over the years. The practice of jumping ship to join better teams has become prevalent in the NBA now. With several superstars following the trend, it was no surprise that some shockers came this year too.

NBA superstars, Damian Lillard and James Harden requested trades to join stronger contenders this year. Following this incident, Richard Jefferson slammed the loyalty in the NBA on ESPN’s hit show, First Take.

Richard Jefferson slams loyalty in NBA

Richard Jefferson has never shied away from making his opinions heard. The easy-going analyst on First Take may seem entertaining off the show but has always made powerful statements about his beliefs and opinions. When it came to loyalty in the NBA, things were no different for Jefferson.

Jefferson was asked about the reigning MVP Joel Embiid‘s stint in Philadelphia on the show. Talking about players looking to win, Jefferson referred to James’ decision by saying “Bron was like, home? No, I’m out. I’m going to Miami, I want to win.”

Jefferson emphasizes strongly that players want to win. “When he [Joel Embiid] says it’s either going to be here or someone else, history tells us that great players will change teams…. all of these people have left”, he exclaimed, talking about Embiid’s situation.

He further went on to explain “It is very rare that a player stays in, a lot of times the players that stay are guys that win championships early… younger in the portion in their career”.

After showing a graphic of the top 5 draft picks that won a championship with the team that drafted them, Jefferson mentioned, “There’s a higher probability of that man being gone and winning a championship than doing it in Philly….he’s not kidding”.

Jefferson had his say about loyalty in the NBA. Over the years, however, players have truly found it difficult to stay with teams that have drafted them. Damian Lillard was touted as the most loyal player in the NBA. Despite the Portland Trail Blazers front office failing to provide the 33-year-old any help, he stayed with the franchise for 12 years. However, with him asking out of Portland, the future of loyalty in the NBA is truly uncertain.

Was Richard Jefferson right in his statements? Is loyalty a lost trait in the NBA? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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