Everyone has an opinion on who the GOAT is. Now, the debate is over because LeBron James continues to strive for an NBA title.
LeBron James came to the Philadelphia 76ers for a chance at winning another championship. It’s been talked about as a cop-out move by some, while others have praised the move, scouting that it can be a career-defining move. One former NBA player thinks this move is going to hurt him in the GOAT debate.
Stephen Jackson spoke on the All The Smoke Podcast and discussed that making this move to a “stacked team” makes the debate over.
“Going to a team that’s already championship ready? That’s not what I would look at as a “best player in the league” move, in my opinion," Jackson said.
At some point, we have to get rid of the idea that the 76ers were championship ready before James joined the team. What about this team? Was it championship ready? Adding Jaylen Brown doesn’t automatically put them in championship graces. Quite frankly, it barely moves the needle. The 76ers had Paul George before the trade, and that was enough to think they could be something. Never in the last three years has anyone said that the 76ers are championship contenders.
This is the same team that last year hovered around the .500 mark until Tyrese Maxey made it his mission to propel this team to the playoffs. Joel Embiid, along with George, was in and out of the lineup, and the team finished seventh in the Eastern Conference. This team was stuck playing in the play-in game, and people are seriously looking at this team as being championship contenders? It’s laughable to be honest.
As soon as James' name was mentioned, only then did people really put the 76ers in the conversation. So wouldn’t it make sense to say that it enhances the GOAT debate because he could help get another team a title? The claim by Jackson that going to Cleveland would make for a better story is what makes the argument senseless.
If he were to go to Cleveland, it would be even worse because Cleveland finished fourth in the Eastern Conference. Besides what more was he going to do for the city of Cleveland? He already gave them their first championship. He did what he came to do, so why go back for a third time? This thought that the 76ers were better than Cleveland is crazy to think about. Cleveland had Donovan Mitchell and James Harden, two all-stars and one was a former MVP of the NBA. They’re just one all-star away from having the same amount as Philadelphia.
The GOAT debate will rage on long after James retires. However, it won’t be diminished just because he chose not to play for a team in the bottom of the NBA.
