Stephen Jackson believes LeBron James’ decision to join the Philadelphia 76ers should hurt his standing in the NBA’s GOAT conversation.
Speaking on the “All the Smoke” podcast, the former NBA champion argued that returning to Cleveland would have made more sense if James wanted to remain in the same discussion as 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.”
James is preparing to play for the fourth franchise of his NBA career after previously representing Cleveland, Miami and the Lakers.
Philadelphia already features a strong roster built around Joel Embiid, Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Maxey and V.J. Edgecombe.
James’ agent Rich Paul previously revealed that Philadelphia did not become a serious option for the four-time NBA champion until the Sixers acquired Brown.
The veteran superstar will turn 42 during the upcoming season and is under contract with Philadelphia through age 43.
Despite Jackson’s criticism, James enters his Sixers tenure as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer after averaging 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists last season.
