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Stephen A. Smith Offers Stark Stance on LeBron James’s Legacy If Lakers Swept

The Lakers enter Monday’s Game 4 against the Nuggets facing elimination. LeBron James and company need a big win at home to keep their season alive, though historically, a 3–0 deficit has proven insurmountable in the NBA playoffs.

Prior to Game 4, Stephen A. Smith discussed on ESPN’s NBA Countdown what a Western Conference finals sweep would mean for James’s legacy. 

“It would be an official stamp on the belief that LeBron James will never capture a fifth ring. It’s really that simple,” said Smith. “This team is not good enough, and it’s not going to be good enough in the future without some tweaks.”

James has been to the NBA Finals 10 times throughout his 20-year career, winning a total of four rings, including one with the Lakers in 2020. Barring a miracle series reversal never before seen in the history of the sport, James and Los Angeles figure to fall short of a championship in 2023, and Smith made clear he thinks the ship has sailed for the four-time MVP in terms of procuring another title.