The most criticism LeBron James has faced since joining the Philadelphia 76ers has been that of him joining a superteam, or that his new team is stacked with talent that will make it easy for him to win championships.
Those criticisms were largely due to the fact that the franchise managed to trade for Jaylen Brown from the Boston Celtics. Now, the Sixers have four All-Star-caliber players and one future All-Star in their starting lineup.
That led many to believe that this was a superteam. Then, as the franchise started adding more pieces to their mix and was also rumored to be in the works for more additions, it was clear that those allegations were not going away any time soon.
Some, such as Hall of Famer Charles Barkley, labeled it as 'cheating.' He felt that James was chasing Michael Jordan's ghost, and that joining stacked teams was not the ethically right way to do it. However, champions in another sport had a completely different logic.
I also hate that, how people are hating on him for going to a good team… Everyone's like, 'Oh, he's going to a stacked team.' He's 42. He can go wherever he wants. Any free agent could do that.
Sam Darnold said on Hard KnocksAs soon as the Seattle Seahawks quarterback said this, his teammate, Cooper Kupp, added that any veteran free agent generally wants to join a team that can win a championship. Kupp famously won the Super Bowl with the Seahawks after being released by the Los Angeles Rams.
Both the defending champions have a valid point, as that is what older players do in any sport. It is just that when it comes to LeBron James, the criticism is always there. That is what surprised both Sam Darnold and Kupp.
The Super Bowl 60 champions said what Shaquille O'Neal, Derek Fisher, and many others have been saying. A professional athlete is supposed to chase rings, and should join teams that can help him or her get to that goal.
But in the case of the Philadelphia 76ers, they were not on the list of teams LeBron James was looking at after he first announced he was leaving the Los Angeles Lakers.
I called Rich right away and said, 'Hey, we got Jaylen, is there a chance LeBron wants to come to us?'… They said, 'This changes some things'… We don't get LeBron without Jaylen.
Mike Gansey saidThis was the 76ers' President of Basketball Operations responding to a question from NBC Sports Philadelphia's Pirates broadcast team. This answer makes it clear that without Jaylen Brown, the King may not have decided to head to Pennsylvania.
It also reveals how LeBron James felt strongly that this team was going to help him achieve his goal of winning more championships before he retires. Although this will add to the superteam narratives, it is clear that the King does not care what the world thinks.
When it comes to LeBron James, criticism is part and parcel of the game. However, even those who support him have questioned whether this Philadelphia 76ers roster is a good fit.
I'd rather have the talent and figure it out… We gotta get to a practice first to see how this works. I think it's gonna work because these guys are going to want to be together, and they see the big picture.
Mike Gansey saidThis was the team President's response when the folks at 97.5 The Fanatic asked him whether he shared those criticisms about the fit of this team. Mike Gansey acknowledged that the starting five are made up of four players who were No. 1 options on their teams.
Therefore, the fit might not be as seamless in the beginning. But the team would rather have that much talent to work with and then figure out how to do it together, rather than compromise for the sake of the fit. It is not every day that a team gets the chance to sign one of the greatest players ever.
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