{"id":20746,"date":"2026-07-27T12:29:14","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T12:29:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/?p=20746"},"modified":"2026-07-27T12:36:05","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T12:36:05","slug":"lebron-james-final-decision-76ers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/lebron-james-final-decision-76ers","title":{"rendered":"LeBron James: Heavy Is the Crown as The King Makes His Final Decision by Choosing the Philadelphia 76ers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>We may never see another <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/basketball\/league\/nba-103\">NBA<\/a> player like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/basketball\/player\/lebron-james-53358\">LeBron James<\/a> from the absurd expectations in high school to exceeding the hype as the only player to win Finals MVP for three different franchises on his way to winning the most games (1,236) and scoring the most points (51,961) in league history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After weeks of speculation, The King made what should be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/news\/lebron-james-free-agency-sixers-2026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">his final decision<\/a> of his career on Friday when he chose the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/basketball\/team\/philadelphia-76ers-1306\">Philadelphia 76ers<\/a> as his fourth and likely last NBA team. He said retirement was a real option before deciding to return for his 24th season after agreeing to terms on a 2-year deal worth just $8M.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I\u00a0thought I was done when the season ended. I wasn&#39;t ready to announce it, and I knew I needed some time to really decide, but I was pretty sure I played my last game. I was honest at that last press conference when I said I needed to look at myself and deicide if I still love<\/p>&mdash; LeBron James (@KingJames) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/KingJames\/status\/2080677086386430018?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 24, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Even though he\u2019s going to be 42 in December, James still moves the needle in every way from shifting the NBA odds on next year\u2019s champion to garnering the most attention, negative or positive, for his decision to join the 76ers after an offseason filled with player movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The reactions were mixed as expected with some thrilled about the potential in Philly, some angry about \u201cring chasing\u201d allegations, some intrigued about how the usage rates will work here, and some disappointed (Cleveland, Miami, Golden State) that he isn\u2019t going to their team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>No matter how you view it, only LeBron can go into Year 24 with people still thinking he\u2019s a threat to win the championship for a Philadelphia team that has not advanced past the conference semifinals <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/teams\/PHI\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">since 2001<\/a>. <strong>LeBron has been to the NBA Conference Finals 12 times since the 76ers\u2019 last appearance.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019ll get into the fit with the 76ers in our final section, but first, let\u2019s look back at the broken discourse over NBA team building, and why James became the master of unrestricted free agency out of necessity. Remember, he has never formally requested a trade in his NBA career, and he\u2019s won a championship with all three franchises he\u2019s played for. Doing so with a fourth will be tough, but if anyone can do it, it\u2019s him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">BREAKING: LeBron James is heading to the Philadelphia 76ers! \ud83d\udd25<br><br>The NBA superstar has agreed to a 2-year, $8 million contract with a player option, according to Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/PbDIItDFy9\">pic.twitter.com\/PbDIItDFy9<\/a><\/p>&mdash; 365Scores (@365Scores) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/365Scores\/status\/2080682741486542980?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 24, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><h2>Table of Contents<\/h2><nav><ul><li><a href=\"#is-it-an-nba-superteam-or-a-team-with-superman\">Is It an NBA Superteam or a Team with Superman?<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#the-myth-of-ethical-team-building-in-the-nba\">The Myth of Ethical Team Building in the NBA<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#roster-building-is-era-dependent-in-nba-history\">Roster Building Is Era Dependent in NBA History<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#the-le-bron-double-standard-with-superteams\">The LeBron Double Standard with Superteams<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#the-cavaliers-wasted-seven-years-of-le-brons-career\">The Cavaliers Wasted Seven Years of LeBron\u2019s Career<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#the-luxury-cleveland-1-0-did-not-afford-le-bron-james-in-seven-years\">The Luxury Cleveland 1.0 Did Not Afford LeBron James in Seven Years<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#the-lack-of-nba-draft-help-for-le-bron-james\">The Lack of NBA Draft Help for LeBron James<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#what-to-expect-from-le-bron-james-in-philadelphia\">What to Expect from LeBron James in Philadelphia?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"is-it-an-nba-superteam-or-a-team-with-superman\">Is It an NBA Superteam or a Team with Superman?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the strangest developments in the NBA discourse in the last decade is the outright dismissal and disgust for <strong>\u201csuperteam\u201d building<\/strong>, a term that still lacks a concrete definition as I\u2019m not sure any roster involving Bradley Beal in its Big 3 (2023-24 Phoenix Suns) should be considered a superteam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>But it becomes hypocritical when many of the same people discounting a superteam for \u201cring chasing\u201d are primarily ranking players based on ring count<\/strong>. Is winning an NBA championship the ultimate goal or not? Make up your minds, because if it\u2019s stats and leading your team in contention for rings over a long period of time, then someone like James with his four rings in 10 NBA Finals can absolutely lay claim to the \u201cGOAT\u201d title over Michael Jordan, who went 6-0 in the Finals in a very advantageous situation in the weaker 1990s.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"727\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/GettyImages-51533241-727x1024.jpg\" alt=\"SALT LAKE CITY, UNITED STATES: Michael Jordan (#23) of the Chicago Bulls sticks out his tongue as he goes past Bryon Russell of the Utah Jazz 11 June 1997 during game five of the 1997 NBA Finals at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Jordan scored 38 points as the Bulls defeated the Jazz 90-88 to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series. AFP PHOTO\/Jeff HAYNES\" class=\"wp-image-12421\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/GettyImages-51533241-727x1024.jpg 727w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/GettyImages-51533241-213x300.jpg 213w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/GettyImages-51533241-768x1082.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/GettyImages-51533241-1090x1536.jpg 1090w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/GettyImages-51533241-scaled.jpg 1453w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 727px) 100vw, 727px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">(Photo credit should read JEFF HAYNES\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the-myth-of-ethical-team-building-in-the-nba\">The Myth of Ethical Team Building in the NBA<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>But this goes well beyond any LeBron vs. Jordan GOAT debate. <strong>This is about the fact that the idea of \u201cethical team building\u201d in a league like the NBA is hogwash<\/strong>. The only ethical line you have to uphold is to not illegally circumvent the salary cap and pay players through other revenue streams to keep them on your roster like the Denver Broncos were <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/nfl\/profootballtalk\/rumor-mill\/news\/yes-the-nfl-has-experienced-salary-cap-circumvention\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">caught doing<\/a> in the NFL after two Super Bowl wins in 1997-98.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Was it \u201cethical\u201d that young teams like the Thunder and Spurs endured multiple losing seasons to get more high draft picks to build around Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Victor Wembanyama with blue-chip talent players like Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/building-nba-champion-spurs-thunder\">covered this idea of ethical team building<\/a> during the 2026 NBA playoffs, or back when people claimed the Thunder and Spurs were going to win the next five championships. But they couldn\u2019t even repeat between the two of them as the New York Knicks, a core built exclusively through free agency and trades with players who didn\u2019t have a Hall of Fame trajectory, went on a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/2026-finally-year-new-york-knicks-rule-nba\">historic playoff run<\/a> and took down the Spurs behind Finals MVP Jalen Brunson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Dawg after Jalen Brunson did Wemby like this I knew the Knicks were gonna win \ud83d\ude2d\ud83d\ude2d <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/8OaKb69VzH\">pic.twitter.com\/8OaKb69VzH<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Hater Report (@HaterReport) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/HaterReport\/status\/2066285074526445830?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 14, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/2026-nba-finals-recap-knicks-spurs-2027-odds\">Knicks were clutch<\/a>, and they showed how putting some talent around a player like Brunson with chemistry from teammates he had at Villanova (Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges) and a trade for a former No. 1 pick at center (Karl-Anthony Towns) was enough to produce a championship, ending a 53-year drought for the Knicks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, we can\u2019t even prove that the \u201cright way\u201d to build an NBA team today is the route the Spurs and Thunder took. Don\u2019t forget the Indiana Pacers, who did not draft Tyrese Haliburton or Pascal Siakam, were on the brink of the greatest upset in Finals history in 2025 before Haliburton tore his Achilles in the first quarter of Game 7 in Oklahoma City.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In fact, we have some evidence that it\u2019s not the most ethical way to build a team since the NBA has already moved to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportingnews.com\/us\/nba\/news\/nba-anti-tanking-draft-rules-new-punishments\/dd91ac9f302b6347a7d0fe8f\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">new anti-tampering rules<\/a> to prevent a team from dominating in the draft lottery like the Spurs did to land their Big 3 of Wemby, Castle, and Harper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"roster-building-is-era-dependent-in-nba-history\">Roster Building Is Era Dependent in NBA History<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Speaking of the draft lottery, that did not exist until 1985 when the New York Knicks won the grand prize of Patrick Ewing. Before that, you could luck out and trade a player to a bad team and a couple of years later, they perform so badly that you end up with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft even if you were coming off a playoff season. That\u2019s what the Los Angeles Lakers did twice to land Magic Johnson (1979) and James Worthy (1982) with No. 1 picks to build up their Showtime Dynasty as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/building-nba-champion-spurs-thunder#magic-vs-bird-the-rivalry-that-almost-wasnt\">we detailed here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Superteams are not a new concept in the NBA<\/strong>, and the construction of them has depended on what rules were in place for player contracts at the time. If you wanted to acquire another team\u2019s superstar in the 1960s-70s, you were going to have to give up players, cash considerations, and maybe multiple draft picks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even the best player of the 1960s (Wilt Chamberlain) and the best in the 1970s (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) were both traded. Twice in Wilt\u2019s case, including a trade to the Lakers where Jerry West and Elgin Baylor just couldn\u2019t beat Bill Russell\u2019s Celtics (join the club). Chamberlain eventually helped West win his only title in 1972, but only after Russell had been retired for a couple of seasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1004\" src=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/33GettyImages-515106852-1024x1004.jpg\" alt=\"Original Caption) Inglewood, Calif.: Two of basketball's giants stare at each other as Milwaukee Buck Lew Alcindor tries to decide if he should go over Los Angeles Laker Wilt Chamberlain or pass the ball off during early action of the third game of the second round of the NBA Playoffs. Alcindor tried to go over the Laker big man and missed the shot.\" class=\"wp-image-20762\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/33GettyImages-515106852-1024x1004.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/33GettyImages-515106852-300x294.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/33GettyImages-515106852-768x753.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/33GettyImages-515106852-1536x1506.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/33GettyImages-515106852-scaled.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">(Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The NBA didn\u2019t institute a salary cap until the 1984-85 season when it was a $3.6 million limit. But even back then, some owners were able to argue for a \u201csoft\u201d cap where a team like Boston could pay Larry Bird so much money to keep him on the team even if it put Boston over the cap limit. This became known as the \u201cLarry Bird Exception\u201d and smart teams like Boston used it to make sure they kept their best players from hitting free agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unrestricted free agency as we know it today didn\u2019t truly start until 1988 when Tom Chambers was allowed to sign with the highest bidder, which turned out to be the Phoenix Suns. In his first year with the Suns, Chambers helped a team go from 28-54 to 55-27. With Chambers as a starter over the next four seasons (1989-92), the Suns were No. 2 in points scored and had the fifth-highest winning percentage (.662) in the NBA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But they only got to the Conference Finals twice and couldn\u2019t break through to the NBA Finals. They needed that final piece to get them over the hump, which they got in the 1992-93 season when Charles Barkley got his trade from Philadelphia to Phoenix and won MVP, leading the Suns to the NBA Finals where they lost to Chicago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was similar to when the Toronto Raptors had the fourth-most wins in the NBA in 2015-18 but needed that uber talent (Kawhi Leonard) to put them over the top for a championship in 2019 for coach Nick Nurse, the new coach for LeBron in Philadelphia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Why am I on a tangent about that era of the Suns and Barkley going from Philly to Phoenix? Because it highlights our final part of this first section.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the-le-bron-double-standard-with-superteams\">The LeBron Double Standard with Superteams<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Charles Barkley is a Hall of Famer and an entertaining analyst on TV. But as one of the best players to never win a ring, he can have some funky opinions on players who have them, and sometimes he just flat out gets it wrong like he did the last week when talking about James. In talking to Stephen A. Smith, Barkley repeatedly noted that LeBron has \u201calways stacked his teams\u201d in Miami, Cleveland (the return), LA, and now Philadelphia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Stephen a smith asks Charles Barkley  people say you can\u2019t talk about LeBron James because you were ring chasing teaming up with Scottie pippen and Hakeem Olajuwon with the Houston rockets and and leaving Philly to go to the Phoenix suns <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Rp8DDd3QHo\">pic.twitter.com\/Rp8DDd3QHo<\/a><\/p>&mdash; NBA Hoops (@Thechat101) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Thechat101\/status\/2080901036206645715?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 25, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Charles Barkley calls out LeBron: <br><br>\u201cHe stacked his team in Miami, he stacked it in Cleveland, he stacked it in LA, now hes stacking it in Philly\u2026 He\u2019s always stacked his team\u201d  <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/i5jSZuNKHm\">pic.twitter.com\/i5jSZuNKHm<\/a><\/p>&mdash; LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/LakeShowYo\/status\/2080802458859901038?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 24, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Barkley then tried to argue him going to Phoenix didn\u2019t count because they weren\u2019t stacked, and that he was traded to Houston when he teamed up with Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler just two seasons removed from a Houston repeat in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/teams\/HOU\/1997.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">1996-97 season<\/a>. Two years later, Drexler was replaced by Scottie Pippen from the Buls for another last hurrah shot at a ring.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"691\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-502571868-691x1024.jpg\" alt=\"LANDOVER, MD - CIRCA 1992:  Clyde Drexler #22 of the Portland Trail Blazers looks on against the Washington Bullets during an NBA basketball game circa 1992 at the Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland. Drexler played for the Trail Blazers from 1983-95. \" class=\"wp-image-20763\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-502571868-691x1024.jpg 691w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-502571868-203x300.jpg 203w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-502571868-768x1138.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-502571868-1037x1536.jpg 1037w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-502571868-scaled.jpg 1382w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 691px) 100vw, 691px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">(Photo by Focus on Sport\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Really, those don\u2019t count as superteams, Chuck? That first year in Houston, the Rockets were 57-25 and lost in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals to Utah. They were also 31-19 in that shortened season with Pippen before getting crushed in the first round by the Lakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It just seems odd that Barkley doesn\u2019t view teams like Phoenix (four straight seasons with 53-55 wins, great scoring numbers) and Houston (recent repeat and multiple HOF teammates) as superteams, but he considers these superteams for LeBron:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Miami Heat were 0-3 in the first round of the playoffs in the four years before LeBron joined them, had a 15-67 season in 2007-08, and Chris Bosh was 0-2 in playoff series in seven seasons with Toronto. LeBron led them to four straight Finals, going 2-2 in them. After James left, the Heat missed the playoffs (37-45) in 2014-15 and won one playoff series in the next five seasons before losing to LeBron\u2019s Lakers in the Finals in 2020.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In the four years when LeBron was gone from Cleveland (2011-14), the Cavaliers had the worst record in the NBA at 97-215 (.311). When James returned, he led the team to four straight NBA Finals, winning in Year 2 (2016). When he left Cleveland again, they missed the playoffs four years in a row and won just 60 games in the first three years combined in 2019-21.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>When James joined the Lakers in 2018, they had missed the playoffs five years in a row in the worst stretch in franchise history and were also last in the NBA with a 126-284 (.307) record. He won them the title in his second season.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Even the 76ers were just the No. 7 seed last year, needed a 3-1 comeback against a Boston team that didn\u2019t have Jayson Tatum for Game 7, then were swept by the Knicks. Joel Embiid is going on 33 and rarely healthy, and the 76ers haven\u2019t been past the second round since 2001.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>If Barkley didn\u2019t join stacked teams, then neither did LeBron.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Isn\u2019t it odd that LeBron gets criticized for \u201cring chasing\u201d on stacked teams just because he\u2019s one of the only players who actually makes his teams into champions?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There have been no shortage of special team-ups in the last decade, and many largely failed, especially the ones involving players like Kevin Durant (Nets with Kyrie Irving and James Harden, Suns with Devin Booker and Bradley Bal), James Harden (Nets, 76ers with Embiid, Clippers with Kawhi Leonard, Cavaliers with Donovan Mitchell), and Paul George was involved in a lot of those too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s not great evidence that superteams lead to NBA Finals appearances, let alone championships in an era that would be defined by supermax contracts. The most successful person at moving to new teams and winning championships was James with four titles in nine seasons for the Heat (2012-13), Cavaliers (2016), and Lakers (2020). Each time he was the best player on those teams as well, an important distinction to make.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In fact, the only two moves that can compare had a direct impact on James\u2019 decisions to join new teams:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Paul Pierce<\/strong> was going to request a trade from <strong>Boston<\/strong> unless they got him stars, and that\u2019s why they acquired Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen in 2007, leading to a ring in 2008. That team also eliminated James\u2019 Cavaliers in the playoffs twice in 2008 and 2010, exposing the flaws in Cleveland\u2019s one-man show roster. Thus, James left for Miami in 2010.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>After James had a healthy Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love that he lacked in the 2015 Finals, he overcame a 3-1 deficit to take down Golden State in 2016. Instead of getting an even rubber match in 2017, the 73-9 Warriors stacked the deck by adding <strong>Kevin Durant<\/strong> to their team, and they dominated Cleveland in the next two Finals before injuries derailed them in the 2019 Finals against Toronto.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Not only are NBA superteams not new, but James didn\u2019t invent them. He just did it better than anyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the-cavaliers-wasted-seven-years-of-le-brons-career\">The Cavaliers Wasted Seven Years of LeBron\u2019s Career<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>LeBron James gave the Cleveland Cavaliers seven seasons after they made him the No. 1 pick in the 2003 draft, then continued to put very little around him in that time. That\u2019s longer than No. 1 overall picks Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (six years on the Bucks) and Shaquille O\u2019Neal (four years on the Magic) stayed with their original teams before both joined the Lakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When you look at what Cleveland was doing to James in his age 19-25 seasons, he would have been foolish not to leave that situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the-luxury-cleveland-1-0-did-not-afford-le-bron-james-in-seven-years\">The Luxury Cleveland 1.0 Did Not Afford LeBron James in Seven Years<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In James\u2019 first seven NBA seasons, he led the Cavaliers every season in points, assists, and steals on a per-game basis. He was also one of the team\u2019s better rebounders and their second-best shot blocker after Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Between his dominance and longevity, one of James\u2019 greatest strengths has always been his versatility. He made averaging 25 points\/6 rebounds\/6 assists look so routine that he did it in 16 seasons, double the amount of his next closest competitor (Oscar Robertson).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But one of James\u2019 greatest strengths has also been a weakness for how his teams perform around him. So often, he has been the team\u2019s best scorer, best passer\/playmaker, and also expected to be one of the best rebounders and defenders on a nightly basis. The most responsibility and biggest workload you can put on a player, and he\u2019s usually succeeded in that role, which is why he\u2019s been in the GOAT conversation so long.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/GettyImages-164287028-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"CLEVELAND, OH - MARCH 20: LeBron James #6 of the Miami Heat celebrates after scoring the game tying basket during the second half against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena on March 20, 2013 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Heat defeated the Cavaliers 98-95. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. \" class=\"wp-image-18947\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/GettyImages-164287028-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/GettyImages-164287028-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/GettyImages-164287028-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/GettyImages-164287028-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/GettyImages-164287028-scaled.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">(Photo by Jason Miller\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>But most players aren\u2019t asked to play that way. Nikola Jokic in Denver and Luka Doncic on his two tams have been two of the only contemporaries who can relate to this situation. When Michael Jordan was in Chicago, he eventually had a player like Scottie Pippen come along and handle a lot of the \u201cpoint-forward\u201d responsibilities that James has taken on in his career. Jordan could just focus on scoring. James had to score a lot and do the other stuff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, since most people agree scoring is the hardest thing to do and the most important to winning games, this is an area where Cleveland shockingly let James down in his first run with the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>In his first seven seasons in Cleveland (2003-04 through 2009-10), LeBron never had a teammate average 18.0 points per game in a season with him. <\/strong>He had at least one such teammate in 15 of his next 16 seasons (only exception was 2017-18 when Kevin Love was No. 2 on Cleveland with 17.6 points per game).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The closest was when Mo Williams averaged 17.8 points per game in the 2008-09 seasons, his first in Cleveland. The same year where Williams averaged 16.3 points per game in the playoffs and shot .408 from the field (down from .467 in the regular season). The same postseason that James had the highest Game Score (29.3 vs. Orlando) in any Conference Finals by a player since 1984.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the surface, you might not see the big deal about a player averaging 18.0 points per game in a season. But that\u2019s exactly the point. It\u2019s not a special number, and most teams are able to get multiple players to average that in a season. If you\u2019re a lover of round numbers, you probably want to see 20-point scorers, and I grabbed that research too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I researched 500 NBA players who played the majority of their career after the shot clock was introduced for the 1954-55 season. This list includes Hall of Famers, MVPs, All-NBA players, the top 250 players in Player Efficiency Rating (PER), Rookie of the Year winners, players with multiple seasons averaging 20 points per game, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>LeBron James is the only player on this list of 500 players who didn\u2019t have a teammate average 18.0 points per game until his 8th season in the NBA. The only one here.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can click through the tweet image to see the list of players who achieved this in their first NBA season, but we\u2019ll show the table with the season and team for the players who did it in Year 2 or later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">A list of 419 NBA players who had at least one teammate average 18.0+ points per game in their 1st NBA season.<br><br>Not all-time inclusive but a deep list. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/EiZmoyN55f\">pic.twitter.com\/EiZmoyN55f<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Scott Kacsmar (@ScottKacsmar) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/ScottKacsmar\/status\/2081702164146118720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 27, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"960\" height=\"571\" src=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/First18.png\" alt=\"LeBron James - First NBA Teammate to Average 18+ PPG\" class=\"wp-image-20748\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/First18.png 960w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/First18-300x178.png 300w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/First18-768x457.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>A whopping 419 of these players (83.8%) had an 18-point teammate in their very first NBA season.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Some of these players had two, three, or even <em>four<\/em> teammates average 18.0 points per game in a season early in their careers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Only 37 players (7.4%) had to wait until Year 3 or later for an 18-point scorer.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Only 5 players (1.0%) had to wait until Year 6 or later, and the only players close to LeBron at 7 years each were Vince Carter and John Wall.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It\u2019s probably not a coincidence that Vince Carter was just 1-2 in playoff series with Toronto when he was traded to the Nets in his 7th season, or that Wall never got Washington past the second round, and he didn\u2019t average 20.0 points per game himself until Year 7 in the league.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>If you expand the number to 20.0 points per game, then James is joined in Year 8 by Isaiah Rider and Kenneth Faried. He\u2019s surpassed by Damon Stoudamire lasting until Year 9, though he just missed it in Year 3 in Portland when Rider averaged 19.7 points per game. Then the two players with the longest waits for a 20-point scorer were Year 10 for Ben Gordon (Bulls and Bobcats) and Nikola Vucevic (a lot of Orlando years).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But just asking for 18 points isn\u2019t a lot, and the Cavaliers could not do it for all seven years with James. Historically weak scoring support, and it\u2019s not like he had multiple guys averaging 17.5 points for him. Even if you remove any minimum game qualifiers, James had just two Cleveland teammates average 16.0 points per game, and they were four years apart in 2004-05 Ilgauskas (16.9) and 2008-09 Mo Williams (17.8).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the-lack-of-nba-draft-help-for-le-bron-james\">The Lack of NBA Draft Help for LeBron James<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to the lack of scoring around James in Cleveland the first time around, that stint started a career-long trend of little value being added to his rosters from the NBA draft, which is only two rounds deep. But it has provided some excellent, career-changing value for most stars of the past and present.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>In fact, you could easily make the case that LeBron has received the least amount of help through the NBA draft than any superstar in league history.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even when you account for James leaving his teams and some of his team\u2019s picks being used in trades to acquire players like Kevin Love, Anthony Davis, and Luka Doncic, the actual players picked just don\u2019t or wouldn\u2019t have moved the needle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After Cleveland made James the No. 1 pick in 2003, here are the next 30 players his teams drafted, including picks in years he joined the team where he technically joined in July after the June draft in each instance, including Miami (2010), Cleveland (2014), Los Angeles (2018), and Philadelphia (2026).<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"776\" height=\"699\" src=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/LBJ_Draft.png\" alt=\"LeBron James NBA Draft Teammates\" class=\"wp-image-20747\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/LBJ_Draft.png 776w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/LBJ_Draft-300x270.png 300w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/LBJ_Draft-768x692.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 776px) 100vw, 776px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p><em>Note: The GP and GS represent how many games played and games started (regular season only) the player played for James\u2019 teams as his teammate. It does not include how many games the player actually played with James active that day.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You know things are rough when his son Bronny is fifth in games played (69) here, or that Daniel Gibson (of 2007 Game 6 vs. Detroit fame) was the most useful teammate LeBron ever had drafted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But what does one do when you start making the playoffs in Year 3, so you avoid getting lottery picks to get the best talent at the top of the draft. You\u2019re basically limited to free agents and trades, and the Cavaliers didn\u2019t do a great job of building around James the first time at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Meanwhile, if you look at what other legends got out of the draft, there\u2019s no comparison. Of course some of them never left their situation. Why would they?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Michael Jordan<\/strong>: The Chicago dynasty was built in the 1987 draft after the Bulls drafted Horace Grant at No. 10 and acquired No. 5 <strong>Scottie Pippen<\/strong> in a draft-day trade.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar<\/strong>: He wasn\u2019t getting to the NBA Finals with the Lakers until they landed <strong>Magic Johnson<\/strong> with the No. 1 pick in 1979, then won another coin toss to get <strong>James Worthy<\/strong> with the No. 1 pick in 1982.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Tim Duncan<\/strong>: Started his career playing with <strong>David Robinson<\/strong>, the Spurs\u2019 No. 1 pick in 1987, then the team had some late-round gems like <strong>Tony Parker<\/strong> (1.28 in 2001) and Manu Ginobili (2.57 in 1999). Also acquired <strong>Kawhi Leonard<\/strong> in a draft-day trade in 2011.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Shaquille O\u2019Neal<\/strong>: Magic were lucky to get the top pick again in 1993 draft, which they turned into a trade for <strong>Anfernee \u201cPenny\u201d Hardaway<\/strong>, then Shaq played for the Lakers at his peak after they acquired <strong>Kobe Bryant<\/strong> in a draft-day trade in 1996.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Steph Curry<\/strong>: Warriors drafted Klay Thompson (1.11 in 2011) and Draymond Green (2.35 in 2012) to build their championship core, which turned into a dynasty once you added Kevin Durant in free agency in 2016.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Bill Russell<\/strong>: Came into the league with Boston draft picks Tom Heinsohn and K.C. Jones after he was acquired in a trade with St. Louis on draft day, then the Celtics drafted Sam Jones in 1957 (1.8) and John Havlicek in 1962 (1.9) as two of his greatest teammates on the way to 11 rings.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Larry Bird<\/strong>: The Celtics drafted Kevin McHale with the No. 3 pick in 1980, traded for Robert Parish with another high draft pick, and would have kept adding to a great core if not for the tragic early passings of Len Bias (1986 top pick) and Reggie Lewis (1987 top pick).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Kevin Durant<\/strong>: He got rewarded for bad records early in his career after the move from Seattle to Oklahoma City with high picks Russell Westbrook (1.4 in 2008) and James Harden (1.3 in 2009).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Hakeem Olajuwon<\/strong>: He wasn\u2019t drafted any HOFers in Houston to win with, but he got useful pieces out of the draft in Robert Horry (1.11 in 1992) and Sam Cassel (1.24 in 1993), who were on the repeat teams in 1994-95. He also started his career with Ralph Sampson, the Rookie of the Year who went No. 1 overall to Houston a year before Olajuwon joined forces with him.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Wilt Chamberlain<\/strong>: He was drafted to a Warriors team that had HOFer and 2-time scoring champ Paul Arizin still on the roster as well as future HOFer Tom Gola. Later added Nate Thurmond (1.3 in 1963) and then Billy Cunningham (1.7 in 1965) when he was on the 76ers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>James just never had those pieces added to his teams, so his job was to help players who hadn\u2019t won anything before like Bosh, Love, Irving, etc. win at the highest level. Even Anthony Davis was only 1-2 in playoff series in seven seasons as the Alpha in New Orleans before he joined James in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>LeBron going to three different teams and still being the best player and winning a championship is a truly 1-of-1 performance in NBA history that others could only hope to emulate if they had the chance. Several stars had the chance too as players like Shaq (six teams) and Durant (five teams) have played for more teams than James has in the NBA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-to-expect-from-le-bron-james-in-philadelphia\">What to Expect from LeBron James in Philadelphia?<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"438\" src=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/LBJ_Crown-1024x438.jpg\" alt=\"LeBron James: Heavy Is the Crown in the NBA\" class=\"wp-image-20749\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/LBJ_Crown-1024x438.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/LBJ_Crown-300x128.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/LBJ_Crown-768x329.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/LBJ_Crown-1536x657.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/LBJ_Crown.jpg 1916w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>The Philadelphia 76ers were already going to be one of the most interesting teams from an analytical standpoint in the 2026-27 season after the big trade for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/basketball\/player\/jaylen-brown-53322\">Jaylen Brown<\/a> from Boston, swapping out Paul George for the Celtics\u2019 veteran who has an odd history of solid traditional stats and poor on\/off splits in Net Rating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now you add LeBron James to the mix, and I can only chuckle at the Batman reference here for Brown\u2019s role:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">So Jaylen Brown didn&#39;t wanna be Robin in Boston. Now he will be Alfred in Philly<\/p>&mdash; Davor Vitkovi\u0107 (@DavorVitkovic) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/DavorVitkovic\/status\/2080715290061513055?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 24, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>After the 2026 NBA Finals ended, the 76ers were +6000 to win the championship next season. They moved up to +1800 after acquiring Brown from the Celtics, and they are +1000 today after the James signing, the fourth-best championship odds at FanDuel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But with James, Brown, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and second-year guard VJ Edgecombe, you have a fascinating mixture of players who had a combined usage rate of 142% last season over their three teams. Yikes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Usages last year:<br>LeBron: 27%<br>Maxey: 29%<br>Edgecombe: 19%<br>Brown: 35%<br>Embiid: 32%<br><br>Total: 142%<br><br>That ought to be interesting.<\/p>&mdash; Dean Oliver (@DeanO_Lytics) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/DeanO_Lytics\/status\/2080683137793765772?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 24, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>That is a lot for coach Nick Nurse to manage. He figured it out in his first year in Toronto when he took over as head coach of the Raptors in 2018 after being promoted from assistant. They had a really solid roster and basically just swapped DeMar DeRozan for Kawhi Leonard and won the title.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He\u2019s got a much harder job here as you have to figure out roles for two new forwards who are deep into their career and used to doing things a certain way. You always have to work around Embiid\u2019s health, and you have to make sure you\u2019re not stunting the development for Edgecombe, who might be the answer to who they go to for shots in the clutch as he performed well in those moments as a rookie (15-of-24, 62.5% FG%, when tied or behind in the last 5:00 of a close game).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They\u2019re going to have to figure it out, and an overlooked reason for why so many superteams have failed is because of health. The Nets just couldn\u2019t get Durant, Harden, and Kyrie on the court together for any real amount of time before one left injured. Then Leonard and Paul George with the Clippers were often injured, Durant had injuries in Phoenix, and Beal was injured too there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But the 76ers have something here, and don\u2019t forget the added depth like Anfernee Simons and Dean Wade. I can see why James picked this team over Cleveland where you just don\u2019t want to spend your final games stuck with James Harden, the Kiss of Death in the postseason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The fit in Miami also wasn\u2019t great at all after the Heat gave up a ton of shooting to get Giannis Antetokounmpo paired with Bam Adebayo. Adding LeBron wouldn\u2019t help that outside shooting problem, so I can see why he didn\u2019t return there either. I never believed he should have been going to play with Steph Curry in Golden State, a team that should remain his nemesis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Philadelphia it was, and you can see the vision with a healthy Embiid at center not having to exert as much scoring, and the outside shooting from Maxey and Edgecombe. Brown could also work on his defense more after trying to keep up the scoring pace without Tatum for most of last season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This starting five is one of the most unique experiments in NBA history, and I can\u2019t wait to see how it plays out. Philadelphia was not the logical storybook ending to James\u2019 NBA career, but he never needed to be defined by the city he plays for. His legacy is playing at the highest level no matter where he goes and who he does it with. He\u2019s basically had four Hall of Fame careers in one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Father Time might not allow this to be a fifth, but the fact that he still generates this much attention and respect in Year 24 is a testament to his greatness. Enjoy it while it lasts because we\u2019re not going to see another do it like this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Related Articles:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/ranking-every-nba-teams-all-time-starting-5\">Ranking Every NBA Team\u2019s All-Time Starting 5: Can Anyone Prevent Lakers vs. Celtics?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/2026-nba-draft-recap\">2026 NBA Draft Recap: Wizards Take AJ Dybantsa, Big Night for Michigan, and Spurs-Thunder Rivalry Heats Up<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/3-types-great-players-team-sports-seg\">The 3 Types of Great Players in Team Sports: Savior, Emperor, and General (SEG)<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/2026-nba-finals-recap-knicks-spurs-2027-odds\">Why the New York Knicks Prove Clutch Is Real, How the Spurs Can Win the 2027 NBA Finals, and the Offseason Storylines to Watch<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/greatest-nba-finals-comebacks-knicks\">The Greatest NBA Finals Comebacks of All Time: The Knicks\u2019 29-Point Triumph in Game 4 Sets a New Standard<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/2026-nba-finals-game-3-knicks-spurs\">2026 NBA Finals Game 3 and MVP Picks: Do the Young Spurs Still Have a Shot After Blowing Both Home Games?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/2026-nba-finals-preview-knicks-spurs\">2026 NBA Finals Preview and Game 1 Picks: Are the Knicks or Spurs the Team of Destiny?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/thunder-avalanche-point-differential-champs\">Thunder and Avalanche Go Out with a Whimper in 2026: Is Point Differential a Good Way to Predict Champions?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/2026-finally-year-new-york-knicks-rule-nba\">Is 2026 Finally the Year for the New York Knicks to Rule the NBA?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/building-nba-champion-spurs-thunder\">Building an NBA Champion: Are the Spurs and Thunder the Right Blueprint for the 2020s?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/2026-nba-conference-finals-preview\">2026 NBA Conference Finals Preview: Let the Epic Spurs vs. Thunder Rivalry Begin<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/2026-nba-semifinals-playoffs-preview\">2026 NBA Conference Semifinals Preview: The Inevitable West vs. Unpredictable East<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/2026-nba-playoffs-preview\">2026 NBA Playoffs Preview and NBA Finals Odds: Do the Thunder Repeat?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/2026-nba-awards-mvp-roy\">2026 NBA Awards: Why Is SGA the MVP Favorite? 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After weeks of speculation, &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":20766,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[237,2137,1443,43,238,933,1294,239,1208,808,1046,44,1366,1248,5518,5517,2316,1119,394,1293,3698],"class_list":["post-20746","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba","tag-76ers","tag-bronny-james","tag-cleveland","tag-giannis-antetokounmpo","tag-heat","tag-james-harden","tag-jaylen-brown","tag-joel-embiid","tag-lakers","tag-lebron-james","tag-michael-jordan","tag-nba","tag-nba-draft","tag-nba-finals","tag-nba-odds","tag-nick-nurse","tag-philadelphia","tag-spurs","tag-thunder","tag-tyrese-maxey","tag-vj-edgecombe","article_type-discover","article_type-news","entity_type-athlete","inspiration-365s-articles","inspiration-planned"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20746","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20746"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20746\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20767,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20746\/revisions\/20767"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20766"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20746"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20746"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20746"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}