Stephen A. Smith Doubts LeBron’s Ability to Win Another Championship with Lakers

Stephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe of ESPN’s “First Take” got into a heated debate over whether or not LeBron James is capable of leading the Los Angeles Lakers to another NBA championship.

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith doubts LeBron James will win one more championship with the Los Angeles Lakers

Saturday’s 131-127 win over the Sacramento Kings marked the 16th time that James and Anthony Davis both scored 30 points or more as teammates, making them the highest scoring duo in Lakers history.

Sharpe argued that LeBron is not only the greatest basketball player of all time, but the four-time MVP also still has enough talent and energy left in him to get the Lakers back into the NBA Finals.

“Look, he was the best player at the Olympics. Everyone saw it. From start to finish, he was the best player at the Olympics,” Sharpe said. “In his 22nd season — yes, he’s about to be 40 — he’s still playing at an extremely high level. You don’t think he can lead a team to the championship?”

Without a second’s hesitation, Stephen A. Smith strongly disagreed, yelling out:

“Yo, Shannon, how many games did you go to last year? Last time I checked, you worked after the games! You didn’t have time to go to the games, because you knew the Lakers weren’t going to do a d—n thing… Who questioned the greatness of LeBron James? He’s on the Mount Rushmore [of basketball]! I’ve got him top two… We know he’s great, but what are you going to do with the Lakers, bro?”

Smith then proceeded to go all-in on Sharpe’s take, stating:

“Are you going to get bounced out in five games of the first round? You going to get swept whenever you see [Nikola] Jokic in the vicinity? And you ain’t got Stephen [Curry] and the crew to help you out. … We want to see you win basketball games and go deep into the playoffs.”

James joined Michael Jordan last season as the only NBA players with multiple games of 40 points or more after turning 39

Last season, James became the first player in NBA history to average at least 25 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists at the age of 39. No other player has ever posted those numbers after their 10th season.

In the Lakers’ 116-104 win over the Brooklyn Nets on March 31, 2024, James joined Michael Jordan as the only NBA players with multiple games of 40 points or more after turning 39.

James has done so twice now at the age of 39. Jordan, who played until he was 40, did it three times.

Additionally, James is also one of three Lakers to average at least 22 points and eight assists per game in a season for three separate campaigns — joining Jerry West and Magic Johnson.

While all of this sounds great, the Lakers have still not appeared in the NBA Finals since defeating the Miami Heat in six games in 2020. Los Angeles advanced to the Western Conference finals in 2023, but the team was swept by Jokic and the eventual NBA champion Denver Nuggets.

During the first round of the 2024 playoffs, the Lakers with James also lost in five games against Denver.

However, through three games of the 2024-25 season, the team is currently off to its best start in more than a decade. First-year head coach JJ Redick is the first Lakers coach to lead the franchise to a 3-0 start since Phil Jackson in 2010-11.

Needless to say, it takes a team to win an NBA championship.