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Most believed LeBron James was slated to join either the Miami Heat or the Cleveland Cavaliers this summer. So, it was quite the shock when the 22-time NBA All-Star signed a two-year, $7.9 million veteran minimum contract with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Stephen Jackson has since gotten over the shock and relegated James to a lower tier of “NBA GOATs” because of the move, citing ring-chasing as the reason for the shift in his all-time rankings. That led the NBA world to bombard Jackson with takes defending James.
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Stephen Jackson’s Hot Take Prompts NBA Fans To Defend LeBron James
Jackson took to his “All The Smoke” podcast to speak on why he believes James dropped from the top tier of all-time player rankings after his move to Philadelphia.
“All the talk you hear about the GOATs and comparing him to [Michael] Jordan and Kobe [Bryant]. For me, Cleveland is the only thing that made sense for me to keep him in that conversation,” Jackson said.
“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. I don’t think that was a ‘best player in the league’ move.”
The NBA world did not take too kindly to this stance from “Stack Jack.”
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“I never heard someone say go to a worse team so you can ‘challenge yourself,’ HE’S 41,” one basketball fan pushed back.
Onyx Odds pointed out that James will be 42 this December and will be in the NBA competing for a title, while Jordan, at 42, had already been retired for years. The caption read, “LeBron at 42 vs. Michael Jordan at 42.”
Another account called out Jackson for hating, saying, “Y’all were saying Jaylen Brown was overrated and Joel Embiid is cooked. Now this is a championship-ready team? Natural-born haters.”
One 76ers fan defended James, saying, “You’re right, he’s in a league of his own above them.”
Multiple fans also pointed out how the 76ers were a seventh seed last season and in the play-in tournament after finishing with a middling 45-37…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/natural-born-hater-nba-world-053016247.html
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Publish date : 2026-08-28 05:30:00
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