• John Starks has explained why LeBron James sabotaged himself in the GOAT Debate
• Starks believes James switched teams too many times to be compared to Michael Jordan
• Jordan played for two franchises while LeBron has played for three
Former Knicks’ point guard John Starks saw his team constantly fall at the hands of Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. Starks has a clear admiration for what Jordan achieved in the ’90s against him and the competition, saying LeBron James can’t be compared to Jordan because he switched teams, unlike Jordan.
“LeBron is hurting his legacy by switching NBA teams so much that it will affect his standing when it comes to LeBron vs. Jordan debates. Mike didn’t move around, didn’t want to move around. He wanted to play against the best. He felt like he didn’t need to go chase players to join his team to beat the best because he felt like he was the best, and I think that’s the difference. I think that’s probably going to hurt LeBron when you look at it in that perspective against Michael, Bird, and Magic. Those guys stayed with one team and they won with that team.”
LeBron James is hurting his legacy by switching NBA teams so much that it will affect his standing when it comes to LeBron vs. Jordan debates, Knicks legend John Starks told me.
“LeBron is hurting his legacy by switching NBA teams so much that it will affect his standing when… pic.twitter.com/Oit4kxRAaM
— 👑 Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson (@ScoopB) September 6, 2023
NBA veterans who are still mad at the power LeBron enjoys are extremely out of touch. Anyone who remembers the Cavaliers LeBron played for before 2010 knows that James was doing superhuman individual things to just keep them in contention with minimal help from the front office.
We are in a different era of basketball, with very few players actually being able to win titles on the team that drafted them.
The Many Moves Of LeBron James’ Career
The Decision in 2010 is the most controversial player movement instance in NBA history, which still brings up bad feelings for many former players who never felt empowered enough to take their careers into their own hands as James did. Even though it was a weak move, LeBron set the tone for the modern league, where players would make even more egregious moves in the chase for a title.
LeBron brought two titles and four Finals to Miami before coming back to the team that drafted him and delivering them their first title in franchise history. James made up for 2010 by bringing the Cavaliers the 2016 title, arguably one of the most famous Finals series of the modern era. They stood no chance, but LeBron and Kyrie Irving ensured they would win the series.
LeBron’s move to the Lakers was compared to Jordan’s late-career move to the Wizards. However, LeBron actually delivered a championship in his second season and is expected to contend for a title this year as well.
Should Team Switching Hurt Legacies?
There is a long list of players who became stars for the franchise that drafted them and brought titles. Jordan, Stephen Curry, Kobe Bryant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, Dirk Nowitzki, and more are in this bunch of players. What’s easily ignored is that all these players were provided winning situations on the rosters they were on.
There are many all-time players who switched teams to add to their championship count. Kevin Durant, Shaquille O’Neal, Anthony Davis, and Kevin Garnett only became champions after being moved by the team that drafted them. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Kawhi Leonard won a title with the team that drafted him but also won more after forcing their way out of that team.
Team switching when it’s blatant ring chasing, like Durant in 2016, can be criticized. But most players end up switching teams because the team that drafted them was never in the position to contend. Players like LeBron single-handily made every single team he was on a contender and has won a championship with each, becoming the only player to win Finals MVP with three different franchises.
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