Delonte West and LeBron James
Among the many sports tragedies endured by fans of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Game 6 of the 2010 Eastern Conference Semifinals, featuring the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics, ranks right up thereat the very top. The top-seeded Cavaliers, featuring LeBron James at near-apex levels, lost to his arch rivals in the Boston Celtics. But what made matters worse was the way James seemed mentally distracted, if not checked out of the game altogether (he shot 8 for 21 in the loss).
Both entering and after the game, numerous allegations emerged about teammate Delonte West potentially having some type of relationship with Gloria James, the mother of LeBron James. While nothing has ever been proven, it’s undoubtedly a key reason the Cavaliers fell short in the playoffs, and why James ultimately left Cleveland.