LeBron James: The Next Record To Break
Could LeBron James become the first NBA superstar to win a championship with three different NBA franchises?
LeBron James‘ chase-down block of Andre Iguodala late in Game 7 was one of the defining moments of the NBA Finals.
It was the moment that many fans realized that James wouldn’t let this title slip away, capping a historic finals performance with the Cleveland Cavaliers‘ first NBA title.
James led the Finals in points per game (29.7), rebounds per game (11.3), assists per game (8.9) steals per game (2.6) and blocks per game (2.3).
Fresh off winning the NBA title with two teams it seems that James is building a legacy while recapturing his position as the dominant NBA superstar. Will he become the first superstar to win the championship with three different teams?
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By capturing the title with two teams, James becomes the first NBA superstar to achieve this feat since
Shaquille O’Nealwith the
and
.
It could be argued that O’Neal was a little past his prime by this point, playing second fiddle to Dwyane Wade back in 2006. O’Neal led the team in rebounding (10.2 per game) and was third in scoring (13.7) behind Antoine Walker (13.8) and super-peak Wade (34.7).
However, by many accounts, O’Neal was still dominant as a superstar, with All-Star appearances in 2005, 2006 and 2007 as a member of the Heat.
Prior to O’Neal, the only other true superstars to win the title with two different teams were Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks) and Wilt Chamberlain (Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers).
Even fewer NBA players have won the title with three different teams, let alone superstars in their prime. John Salley, in a reserve role, won four titles with the Detroit Pistons, Chicago Bulls, and Los Angeles Lakers.
Robert Horry won seven titles with the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs. So could James become the first true superstar to win the title with three franchises?
James has a player option on the two-year contract he signed with the Cavs. Many thought of this as a bargaining chip to allow James access to the flood of money under the large salary cap increase this summer ($70 million to $94 million).
And with the title in hand that might be all we see of James this summer as he re-signs a new multi-year deal.
However, James shocked everyone with his departure to the Cavs two summers ago; it might not be crazy to think this could happen again, perhaps not this summer but speculation will grow again towards the end of the 2016-17 NBA season.
James, now 31, will likely start to need more rest during the regular season. The Cavaliers did a good job with James in this regard — he averaged the fewest minutes per game of his career last season (35.6).
Hopefully, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love come on strong as NBA champions and provide James support carrying the load in Cleveland.
But if James is truly looking at his options this summer or next, then he has some intriguing destinations available that could net him championship number four with team number three.
The New York Knicks present James with a big challenge, but a big potential reward. New Yorkers’ thirst for a championship is ever-growing in a city that is the Mecca for basketball.
We’ve seen many superstars turn on their biggest games for the fans in New York, from Michael Jordan to Kobe Bryant and Stephen Curry.
James has also been historically great at the new Madison Square Garden having been the first player to record multiple triple-doubles and multiple 50-point games there.
Had superstar Carmelo Anthony not re-signed with the Knicks, we might be watching him and James perform together these past few years. The two enjoy a close friendship that could make the destination more intriguing for James, especially with the recent addition of Derrick Rose.
By waiting a year, James could see closely how a healthy Rose, Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis perform together.
Both Porzingis and Anthony provide floor-spacing shooting that could allow James to operate from the post.
Porzingis’ future projects well and perhaps James can see more potential than with Kevin Love, especially defensively where Porzingis has been fearless in trying to protect the rim.
Sadly the Knicks are in the middle up of a clean-up that has been Phil Jackson‘s role as President of the team.
Strapped with few draft picks, some badly executed trades, and even worse contracts, Jackson has done a solid job of configuring the Knicks in addition to the selection of Porzingis with the No. 4 overall pick in the draft last summer.
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The addition of a healthy Rose and improving Porzingis will make Jackson look smart if the team comes together this season.
In addition, the Knicks also employed long-time NBA player Jeff Hornacek as their new head coach.
Off the back of some successful times with the Phoenix Suns, Hornacek comes to New York with a mindset that impressed on Jackson and made him look past long time friend and interim coach Kurt Rambis.
James’ view of the situation could air on the negative side here although, like Dan Gilbert in Cleveland, Knicks owner James Dolan may comfortably spend in the knowledge he can build a winning team with James. And let’s be honest, he’s done it before with much lesser players!
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Another potential landing spot for James is the Los Angeles Clippers. Owner Steve Ballmer doesn’t look like he is shy about spending. In fact, he doesn’t look like he is shy about anything.
There were rumors last season about the Clippers trying to unload Blake Griffin; if that were the case James could slot in next to Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan.
Like Anthony in New York, James shares a friendship with Paul and must surely relish the competitive anger that Paul uses to play the game.
The Clippers also boast one of the most successful coaches in the NBA with Doc Rivers. Rivers coached the Boston Celtics big three to the title back in 2009 and is well-versed on winning basketball and molding multiple superstars to playing this brand of basketball.
For an expert basketball mind like James, this must be appealing.
The Clippers roster is more win-now orientated than the Knicks, with a strong supporting cast that includes Jamal Crawford, J.J. Redick and company.
Big man DeAndre Jordan is a huge athletic handful on the block and Paul runs the show as well as anybody in the league. James’ addition would surely vault this team past the Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors in the west.
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James has delivered on his promise to Cleveland. Would he leave to form another superstar team with close friends Chris Paul or Carmelo Anthony? Would that result in a title for another team? Whether this summer or next, James may again choose the road less traveled.
(statistics per basketball-reference.com)