LeBron James' coach explains why teammates 'hated him' despite him being the standout player

LeBron James is one of the most successful basketball players of all time, but according to one former coach he hasn't always been popular with his teammates.

Now in his 22nd NBA season and still going strong at the age of 40, James has been the biggest name basketball for more than two decades and has accomplished an extraordinary amount in his career – including four titles, four Most Valuable Player awards and the distinction of becoming the first player in NBA history to score 50,000 points.

Considered – alongside Michael Jordan – to be arguably the greatest NBA player of all time, James is far from finished when it comes to further adding to his legacy, too. Since the LA Lakers shocked the basketball world by trading for Luka Doncic in February, the 17-time champions – led by "King James" – have looked like strong contenders for this year's title.

But long before James had a stack full of championship rings and individual accolades, he was a teenage rookie blessed with generational talent and shouldering huge expectations.

Shaquille O'Neal played with LeBron James for one season at Cleveland Cavaliers. Image: Getty

He entered the league straight out of high school in 2003, drafted with the No.1 pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers and hailed as the next Jordan.

According to Paul Silas, the Cavaliers' coach at the time, some of the youngster's new teammates struggled to accept such a young and inexperienced colleague as the star attraction.

“Their egos wouldn’t allow it,” Silas said. “I kept telling them, ‘You have a chance to help one of the game’s future stars,’ but they wouldn’t embrace him. If it bothered LeBron, he never let on.

“We won 35 games that year because of him. He’s had some outstanding seasons since then, but that first one may have been the most impressive because of how he excelled in spite of the jealousy on his own team.”

James went on to enjoy an outstanding first season in the NBA nevertheless, averaging 20.9 point, 5.9 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game as he was named Rookie of the Year.