LeBron James has always been centered around the great “GOAT” debate in the NBA, but after his recent decision to play for the Philadelphia 76ers, does it create a stain on his resume?
Former NBA champion Stephen Jackson said on his show, “All the Smoke Pod” that he believes James’ decision to join the 76ers no longer puts him in the GOAT debate with Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.
“All the talk you hear about the GOATs, comparing him to Jordan and Kobe. For me, Cleveland was the only thing that made sense to keep him in that conversation,” Jackson said of James. “Going to a team that’s already championship-ready, that’s not what I would look at as the best player in the league challenging himself.”
The outlier between James, Jordan, and Bryant in the GOAT debate is centered around the movement around teams on James’ resume.
James is about to play on his fourth team in the NBA, and it’s one that currently bolsters one of the best rosters, as it features Joel Embiid, Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Maxey, and V.J. Edgecomb.
A week after James announced that he would be joining forces with the 76ers this season, his agent Rich Paul said on his podcast “Game Over” that he wasn’t really considering Philadelphia until they traded for Jaylen Brown.
James, a four time NBA Champion, Finals MVP, and league MVP is about to turn 42 next season and is on contract with Philadelphia until he’s 43.
In 2023, James became the league’s all-time leading scorer, and it will likely remain that way, as he finished last season averaging 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 7.2 assists per game.
