“Had to Go to the Hospital”: LeBron James’ Former Teammate Thrown Under the Bus Only to Undermine Magic Johnson

Published 03/02/2024, 6:00 AM EST

How many stars are there who can make their opponent work so hard that they have to be hospitalized? A true example of how one’s glory can be another’s misery. Appearing on an episode of ‘The Mark Jackson Show’, Stephen A. Smith recollected the time Stephen Curry made ex-Cleveland Cavaliers guard Matthew Dellavedova take a physical toll beyond what he could endure while Smith contemplated adding the 4x champion to his special list over Magic Johnson.

“You can’t guard him (Steph) one-on-one. You have to literally guard areas because no single individual can stay with him,” Stephen A. said leading to the Dellavedova episode. “J.R. Smith said it on Instagram months ago when he said Matthew Dellavedova had to be hospitalized because they had to give him oxygen because he was running around chasing Steph Curry so much he almost died.” This emerged from a question about Smith’s top 5 players alive at present.

He chose Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the top 3. And Larry Bird as fourth, describing the fifth spot as tricky. “I think that Magic Johnson is the greatest quintessential point guard in the history of basketball,” Smith stated. Though he believes that the 5x NBA champion should reserve the fifth spot for himself when it comes to the supposed role of a point guard of setting up and facilitating opportunities for others, Smith thinks that Stephen Curry has an advantage when it comes to impact on the opponent players.

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“Because Steph Curry is the greatest shooter god has ever created. He is a guy, as you well know, who is a threat the second he steps an inch past half-court,” stated Smith. He further spotlighted how because of Curry’s shooting, stamina, and ability to move without the basketball to create his own shot, the opponent’s head is constantly on a swivel.

This discussion further led to the episode where Smith discussed the incident with Delly.

The time Dellavedova pushed past his health limits

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This a lesser-known story from Game 3 of the 2015 NBA Finals between LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors. With Kyrie Irving injured, Delly defended as his life depended on it, and as a result, he had to be hospitalized. Dellavedova was a young point guard back then who was tasked with guarding Stephen Curry. The physical toll it took on him was beyond his health limits.

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So much so that the constant movement against Curry led to severe cramping in Dellavedova’s legs. This likely happened due to dehydration and fatigue during the high-pressure game and the aggressive defense. After being admitted, he received an IV to replenish the lost fluids. However, even all of this effort from Delly could not prevent the Cavaliers’ loss to the Warriors.

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Written by:

Khelendra is an NBA writer at Essentially Sports, where he brings insightful analysis and engaging content to basketball enthusiasts worldwide. With a passion for the game cultivated from his own experiences as a basketball player, he has represented his school team in numerous tournaments, honing both skills and an intimate understanding of the sport. Khelendra holds a PG Diploma in Digital Media from a reputed university, providing him with a solid foundation in multimedia storytelling and digital content creation.

Edited by:

Pragya Vashisth

“Had to Go to the Hospital”: LeBron James’ Former Teammate Thrown Under the Bus Only to Undermine Magic Johnson

The time Dellavedova pushed past his health limits

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