A few weeks after upsetting the 73–9 Warriors in the 2016 Finals, here’s what LeBron James said his biggest motivation was when asked by a prospect at the Nike Skills Academy, as witnessed by then-SI writer Lee Jenkins: “My motivation,” James said, “is this ghost I’m chasing. The ghost played in Chicago.”
Fast forward to 2018, here’s what James said about that Finals series, and what it meant for his career (via a clip from his ESPN+ series): “That one right there made me the greatest player of all time.”
So, which one is it?