James does not like the modern-day term for “1v1.”

The all-time leading scorer, LeBron James, has been in the league for about 20 years. Ever since his debut, the game has evolved drastically. Players have started to shoot more often, and one-on-one matchups are more acknowledged than the plays on the drawing board. While James has managed to be as versatile as he could, going through a series of changes in his game, he does disagree with a few modern-day concepts.

In the recent episode of LeBron James and JJ Redick‘s Mind the Game Podcast, James explained how modern-day terms have disrupted the real game from the fans’ perspective. While streetball has its fair share of fun, showcasing handles, dunks, and shooting, adapting the same to a professional game might not be as reasonable.

LeBron James said:

Everyone now has a narrative of this thing called, 'I have a bag'... It bothers the f*** out of me. Everyone thinks just because you get a favorable matchup, then it means it's one-on-one time. Let's play ones. That's all you hear the kids talk about now. 'You wanna play ones?'... This is not Jordan versus Bird Nintendo.

LeBron James said

The King puts a clearer perspective on how given matchups are perceived by fans as well as younger players. Being a veteran, James knows his way around plays. The ability to read the play off the screen or off the ball is something that players should learn.

LeBron James has it all in a 1v1 situation

While there are 1v1 situations in a game, James doesn’t really focus on showing off his skills. In a real matchup, a lot of things go behind the scenes that spectators might not know of. James is one of the greatest players to ever touch the ball, and in 1v1 situations, the King knows where to take his next step.

The Laker can knock down deep shots on his defender’s face, penetrate through the defense for a finish, or dominate in the post. At the same time, Bron’s in-game IQ is also one of the best in the league. James can make spacing for teammates to find them on the open floor.

All of these aspects make a player completely fit in a team game. The modern-day terms might throw off veterans as well as serious players, but they’re well off limited to a somewhat amateur level. Players can learn a lot through the professional athletes apart from the shifty handles, long-range shots and dunks. As all veterans and retired players would agree, fundamentals are the key to being the greatest player one can ever be.