He was almost left off the 2008 USA Olympic team because teammates didn’t like his attitude
Many people may not know that LeBron James was a highly contested addition to the 2008 “Redeem Team” that eventually won the gold medal in the Beijing Olympics. Team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski and USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo felt LeBron’s behavior in the 2004 Olympics and 2006 World Championships was “immature” and “disrespectful,” and they worried greatly about adding him to a team who set out to restore Team USA’s legacy on the world basketball stage. Ultimately, executives at Nike told James that the NBA felt no obligation to include James on the 2008 team, and unless he changed his behavior towards coaches and teammates, he wouldn’t be making the trip. LeBron and his teammates won by an average of 32 points per game, and defeated Spain 118-107 in the Gold medal game.