Stephen A. Smith believes LeBron James is headed for one more championship run, and he thinks it could happen fast.
Speaking on First Take on ESPN, Smith said the Philadelphia 76ers have enough firepower to help the 41-year-old star win his fifth NBA title within the next two seasons. He pointed to the group around James - Jaylen Brown, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey - as the reason for his confidence.
“I think within the next two years, these two years that he’s committed to Philadelphia with Jaylen Brown, a 28-point-per-game scorer who’s a former NBA champion and Finals MVP. He’s a stud.”
“Tyrese Maxey is that dude. I definitely believe that within the next, this season or next season, the Philadelphia 76ers are going to win LeBron James his fifth NBA championship. That’s the good news.”
Smith’s view comes as James begins a new chapter in Philadelphia after leaving the Los Angeles Lakers this summer. The four-time NBA champion signed a two-year deal with the Sixers, giving him another shot at a title before the end of his career.
On paper, the fit is hard to ignore. Brown brings championship experience, scoring punch and defensive versatility.
Maxey has grown into one of the league’s most explosive guards. Embiid remains one of the most dominant interior scorers when healthy.
Smith sees that mix as enough to put Philadelphia in the championship picture.
But even if James does add another ring, Smith is not moving him past Michael Jordan in his all-time ranking.
“Here’s the bad. It still ain’t six, baby.
It still ain’t six. “This man is the second-greatest player of all time.
He is not the GOAT. He is the second-greatest player of all time.”
“Okay, number two behind a six-time champion, a 10-time scoring champion, a nine-time All-NBA First-Team defensive player, the greatest closer in NBA history, who is Michael Jeffrey Jordan.”
Jordan won six titles with the Chicago Bulls and never lost in the NBA Finals, finishing 6-0. LeBron has four championships with three different franchises and is entering his 24th NBA season.
James already made his preseason debut with the Sixers, scoring 10 points with four rebounds and five assists in limited minutes during a 114-108 loss to the Brooklyn Nets.
Philadelphia finished last season 45-37, but the expectations around the team have changed after the additions of James and Brown. Still, the road ahead is crowded, with the New York Knicks coming off an NBA championship and other Eastern Conference teams also trying to make a push.
Smith, though, thinks the Sixers have enough to get James another title before the two-year window closes. Even then, he says, the Jordan debate won’t budge.
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