Before his time with the Lakers, James had plenty of success with both the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat. He also ran into a number of teams that got the better of him in the Playoffs.

Speaking recently to the Lakers’ media, James was asked if there were any former teammates he “hated” to play against. The first name that came to mind was former Celtics big man Kendrick Perkins. They battled each other a lot in the playoffs during the late 2000’s and early 2010’s. James also went on to mention Lance Stephenson and new teammate Patrick Beverley.

LeBron James comments on Kendrick Perkins and former enemies on the court

LA Lakers superstar LeBron James has put together plenty of historic performances throughout his career. These performances have also led to “friendly” rivalries with other quality players.

It shouldn’t be a surprise to hear James talk about his distaste for the Boston Celtics, and playing against former teammate Kendrick Perkins. James had to deal with the Celtics in the playoffs on a regular basis during his time with the Cavaliers and Heat.

LeBron James has no time to look back at his career. He has diverted all of his to the 2022-23 season. The Lakers are hoping to bounce back after a disappointing 2021-22 campaign. They missed the playoffs and finished eleventh in the Western Conference with a 33-49 record.

With former “rival” Patrick Beverley, and veteran Dennis Schroder now in the mix, the Lakers hope they have enough depth to make some noise this season. In his last season with the Lakers, James went on to post averages of 30.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game.

The Lakers will open their 2022-23 season against the Golden State Warriors on October 18. The Lakers also faced the Warriors at the Staples Center in their 2021-22 season opener. Despite LeBron James and Anthony Davis scoring a combined 67 points, they lost by a final score of 121-114.

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