National Basketball Association

LeBron picks Warriors as NBA playoff team he would play for

Updated Jun. 8, 2022 3:27 p.m. ET

LeBron James has been a winner at every stop of his Hall of Fame journey.

Prosperity seems to follow James like thunder does lightning, and he has been the catalyst for all of it. So when James was asked which playoff team he'd most like to play with, it was no surprise to hear him name the one that'd give him the easiest workload.

"It’d be Golden State," James said in response to a question posed by longtime friend Maverick Carter on an upcoming episode of HBO's "The Shop."

"I would love to get into a pissing match with Draymond [Green]. I love when somebody cuss me out."

Green and James are known for their fiery dynamic on the court; many fans vividly remember their string of spats that led to Green's one-game suspension during the 2016 NBA Finals.

But the pair share a doting relationship off the court built on respect for each other's work. Before these playoffs, James sent a tender "good luck" message out to his fellow Klutch Sports client.

"My brother, my G!" James wrote on an Instagram story, "Love you kid! Good luck in the postseason! Almost that time again!"

Green reposted the salute on his own story, reciprocating James' love.

Green and James even took a vacation to Cabo together during the All-Star break, a period in which Green himself was amazed by James' unrelenting work ethic — in Mexico's paradisiacal climate.

"It's insane that LeBron continues to produce at the level he is producing in his 19th season in the NBA," Green said on his podcast following the trip. "It's funny because we were just in Cabo weeks ago for All-Star break. I walked into Bron's crib, and he's using this electrical current type of machine on his quad. And I said to him right then 'Dude, you just don't stop.' And he's like, 'Man, gotta do it. Gotta get the quad fine, you know I had this issue.'

"So I was just like, 'Dude, you just never stop. Like, there's always something with you in regards to your body and the game. It's mind-blowing to me.'"

Given all of this, Shannon Sharpe wasn't surprised that James mentioned a desire to play with the Warriors. But he opined that the choice was more about playing with the Warriors' main star than it was about Green.

"This is more about playing with Steph Curry. In the last two All-Star Games, LeBron has drafted Steph," Sharpe said Wednesday on "Undisputed."

"In the 2022 All-Star Game, Steph had 50 points on 16 made 3s. And LeBron saw just how easy it was to get him easy looks. Now imagine you've got Steph and Klay [Thompson]? Look at Cleveland. He had Channing Frye, J.R. Smith, Kyle Korver, Iman Shumpert. You look at Miami. He had Ray Allen, Mike Miller, Mario Chalmers, Shane Battier. Now he can get downhill without them building a wall to try to keep him out of the lane."

Sharpe went on to question James' desire for a challenging presence in the locker room.

"I don't know if LeBron James has ever had a player that would come at him like Draymond," he said. "He says that's what he wants, but if you've never had that, you can't possibly expect him in Year 19 to be cool with that. I know this about players: The greater the player is, the critiques better be more and more fluff. When Bruce Arians was harshly critiquing Tom Brady, he wasn't accepting that.

"I still believe it's about Steph. When they asked him months earlier, he didn't mention Draymond. Could you imagine? LeBron would average 16-17 assists."

LeBron James would prefer to play with Warriors over Celtics

released from the newest episode of "The Shop,"LeBron James spoke about preferring to play with Golden State opposed to their NBA Finals opponents Boston Celtics.

It's not likely that James' hypothetical wish does come true, but if it did, Golden State's already legendary dynasty could very well reach G.O.A.T. status.