At the time of the 2014 NBA draft, there was still no word on whether or not LeBron James would be returning to the Miami Heat. Although many speculated that due to being unable to three-peat, James would move on, there was no solid evidence one way or another; some argued that James’ wife was hinting towards a homecoming via a handful of Instagram photos, while others swore that there was no way he could leave Miami after the chaos his decision of 2010 had caused.
Therefore, going into the draft that night, Heat fans and haters alike were preparing to keep a close eye on who the newest member of Heat Nation would be.
And James, being no stranger to controversy, did anything but help the already confused state of things, tweeting “no way u take another PG in the lottery before Napier,” after the UConn Huskey led his team to the national championships.
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So, as many predicted, Miami ended up getting Napier. Whether or not this decision was made separate from wanting to please James, to outsiders, the reason seemed obvious; the Heat would do anything to keep their star player, and therefore drafted Napier in order to prove themselves to James.
It is probably a safe assumption that by then James already knew his course of action, but nevertheless he tweeted “my favorite player in the draft! #Napier” in validation of Miami’s course of action. Which of course, set off even more speculation about the King’s future.
Napier himself hoped his arrival in South Beach would persuade James to continue his journey there. But unfortunately for him and the rest of the team, James announced his return to Cleveland later that month.
Five months later, and many are still wondering how it felt to be labeled as the last ditch effort to stop James from leaving Miami.
"“Like I said, I was ecstatic when I found out I was playing with the Miami Heat,” Napier told the NY Daily News, when asked if it was awkward when James left for Cleveland. “I understand what this organization is about and to be drafted by this team is everything that I wanted.”“I was happy to be with this organization once I heard I was coming,” Napier continued. “This is a great organization no matter what. This team is based on championship pedigree and you should love coming to a team like that and I was appreciative that these guys gave me an opportunity like that.”"
Currently, Napier averages 7.3 points and 2.3 assists a game, and has been playing solid minutes with teammates Dwyane Wade and Norris Cole out with injuries. However, the start of his career was not nearly as smooth.
Caught up in the drama of James’ departure, Napier struggled during the Summer League. Many wondered whether or not the Heat made the right choice with their lottery pick, condemning them for trying to appease James and not looking at the bigger picture. But now, that has changed.
Napier recently scored 14 points as well as had three assists and two steals in a 94-93 win against the Charlotte Hornets on November 23.
“I’m just trying my best and getting comfortable.”