John Starks: Switching teams 'going to hurt LeBron' in Jordan comparisons
LeBron James switched teams for the third time in his career this summer, leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers to take his talents to the Los Angeles Lakers.
James signed a four-year, $153.5 million max contract with the Lakers. The four-time MVP led the Cavs to four straight Finals appearances in his second stint with Cleveland. The Cavs won it all in 2016 over the Golden State Warriors, becoming the first team in NBA history to erase a 3-1 series deficit in the Finals.
When talking about the greatest player in NBA history, Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan is usually the first player that comes to mind. Jordan won six championships with the Bulls and never lost in the Finals.
James, meanwhile, is just 3-6 in the Finals and many use his losing record as the main reason why he will always be behind Jordan.
But former NBA player John Starks, who had multiple battles with Jordan's Bulls when he was a member of the New York Knicks, says James changing teams multiple times to win rings will ultimately haunt LeBron's legacy.
"Mike did all his championships on one team and guys wanted to play for him,” Starks told Brandon 'Scoop B' Robinson on Scoop B Radio. "Scottie [Pippen] and Horace [Grant], he kind of raised those guys. Later on when he got back, other guys like [Dennis] Rodman and [Ron] Harper joined the team.
"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, [Larry] Bird, and Magic [Johnson]. Those guys stayed with one team and they won with that team.”