Lakers’ LeBron James looks back at time with the Heat and gives thoughts on ‘Heat Culture’

As Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James sat in a chair near the baseline of the Miami Heat’s new “Culture” court following Monday’s morning shootaround at Kaseya Center, he had plenty to say about his four-year Heat experience that ended nearly a decade ago.

“I learned a lot from being here. It was great times,” James said ahead of Monday night’s matchup against his former team in Miami. “Obviously, my four years here were great times. Playing for this franchise, playing under Spo [coach Erik Spoelstra], obviously me being with D-Wade [Dwyane Wade] and [Chris] Bosh and UD [Udonis Haslem] and so many other guys that we had on the court throughout the four years that we had. We did some really good things, really special things that we did here. This was definitely a big part of my career.”

James spent four seasons with the Heat from 2010 to 2014, winning two NBA championships with the organization in 2012 and 2013 in four NBA Finals appearances. He also was selected as the NBA’s Most Valuable Player two times while with the Heat.

James left the Heat as a free agent in 2014 to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the team he left to join the Heat in 2010.

“I think I just grew. I mean, I was 25 years old when I came here,” James continued about his Heat experience. “I was still a kid. Even though I was seven years in, I was still a kid. I came here for one reason and for one reason only, to win championships. That was my only goal. That’s the only reason that I teamed up with D-Wade and Bosh. Because I felt like I couldn’t do it in Cleveland.

“So I had an opportunity to be a free agent, I did what I thought was best not only for my career but for me at that point in time. I was 25, so I come down here and I get an opportunity to learn, instill what I have learned. I know I’m a student of the game. I know I wasn’t coming down here like I didn’t know anything. I spent 25 years in Northeast Ohio. To high school and seven years with the Cavs, that was the only place that I knew. So it was a culture change for me. People talk about ‘Heat Culture,’ it was like a culture change, period. I was just changing everything about my life for the first time in my life.”

James is now the oldest active player in the NBA at 38 years old. He’s in his sixth season with the Lakers.

When asked about the culture the Lakers have built despite having three different head coaches (Luke Walton, Frank Vogel and now Darvin Ham) during his six seasons with the team, James grinned.

“Besides the San Antonio Spurs, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots, I think those are the only franchises that we can say have the same stability as the Miami Heat,” James said.

James entered Monday’s contest against the Heat still among the league’s top players even in his 21st season, averaging 24.5 points, 9.2 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game while shooting 56 percent from the field through the Lakers’ first six games.

While James credited the Heat for helping him grow as a player, he made clear that his NBA longevity is not a product of the lessons he learned while in Miami.

“I didn’t need to learn that here. I didn’t learn anything about that,” James said. “I’ve always taken care of my body. I’ve been stretching and icing and taking care of my body since I was an eighth grader. I think I would still be playing at this level no matter if I would have come here or not.

“Let’s not get it twisted. The four years I was here were amazing and I loved everything about it. I love this franchise, this franchise is top tier. It’s one of the best franchises in the world. But as far as my career, my career was going to be my career as far as individually because I know how much I put into the game and I know how much I strive to be as great as I can be. But as far as what I was able to learn here, it’s second to none, that’s for sure.”

When asked about the Heat’s new “Culture” campaign that includes a new uniform with the words “Heat Culture” across the chest and the new court that will debut for Monday’s game, James said “we didn’t really talk about [Heat Culture] too much” during his time with the organization.

“You come and you work, and the product of how much you put in the work is going to pay off on the floor,” James said. “As a ball club, we just came out and we held each other accountable every day and we wanted to put out the best product on the floor every night from what we were doing on the practice court upstairs. That’s what it was about.”

What does James think about the new “Heat Culture” court that he’ll play on Monday? The court has “Culture” splashed across midcourt and Heat president Pat Riley’s mantra of “The Hardest Working, Best Conditioned, Most Professional, Unselfish, Toughest, Meanest, Nastiest Team in the NBA” painted in each of the free-throw lanes.

“I didn’t read it,” James said of Riley’s mantra in the lanes. “But I did see the ‘Heat Culture’ at half court.”

The new court will be used for designated Heat games at Kaseya Center when the team is wearing it’s new “Heat Culture” uniform, except for in-season tournament home games that will instead be played on the team’s new red court.

“Riles always talked about, ‘Keep the main thing the main thing,’” James said. “That’s what it’s always been for me. What is the main thing? Come in, work your butt off and go out and produce. We weren’t always able to reach our goals, obviously in 2011 and 2014. But we put ourselves in a position to be able to accomplish that every year that I was here.”

INJURY REPORT

For Monday’s matchup against the Lakers, the Heat will be without forward Nikola Jovic (non-COVID illness), wing Caleb Martin (left knee tendinosis) and two-way contract guard RJ Hampton (non-COVID illness).

The Lakers will be without Rui Hachimura (concussion protocol), Jaxson Hayes (left ankle sprain), Jalen Hood-Schifino (right patella contusion), Jarred Vanderbilt (left heel bursitis) and Gabe Vincent (left knee effusion) against the Heat.