LeBron James reveals the toughest defender he’s faced in his NBA career

Los Angeles Lakers icon LeBron James is widely recognized as one of the greatest players in National Basketball Association (NBA) history—if not the greatest—as evidenced by his illustrious résumé, which includes being the league’s all-time leading scorer.

James has won everything there is to win in his storied career, and at 40 years old, he is much closer to the finish line than the starting point. He is set to return for his 23rd NBA season, which would break the record he currently shares with NBA legend Vince Carter.

Over the course of his 22-year career in the NBA, James has played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, and currently, the Los Angeles Lakers. During this time, he has faced numerous legends of the game. In the most recent episode of his podcast Mind the Game, co-hosted with NBA legend Steve Nash, James revealed the toughest defender he has ever faced.

That man @MettaWorld37 was really made of granite. pic.twitter.com/WOQaMM2yBn

— Mind the Game (@mindthegamepod) June 17, 2025

The 40-year-old named 2010 NBA champion Metta World Peace, formerly known as Ron Artest, as the toughest defender he has ever gone up against.

“Yeah, Ron Artest. Metta World Peace now. Really good with his hands, laterally was really good, strong as an ox. We played a game in my early years when he was in Indiana—I mean, it was challenging for sure. One of the best defenders I have probably played against.

I had to go straight back to my early days. Ron definitely had you like, ‘OK, this is what the league is about. Let’s continue to lock in—this is a hell of a test for you as an 18-year-old kid out of high school with a target on your back.’ I was like, ‘Yeah, I love this. This is awesome,’” James said.

Notably, James had to face Metta World Peace when he was at his physical and defensive peak. This came during James’ rookie year with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2004, when the now-45-year-old won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award. It comes as no surprise that the NBA icon vividly remembers facing him early in his career.

Selected by the Chicago Bulls as the 16th overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft, Artest enjoyed a successful career, also playing for the Indiana Pacers, Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, and New York Knicks. He was also known for his controversial moments both on and off the court, most infamously the “Malice at the Palace.”

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