D’Angelo Russell, who played alongside James on the Lakers, weighed in on his former teammate’s move to Philadelphia during an appearance on The Backyard Podcast (h/t) Mind of Bron.

“I don’t know as far as comparing it to the Warriors, but I do know they are championship-or-bust, that team,” Russell said when asked to react to Kevin Durant’s claim that the 76ers’ new roster could rival the championship Warriors teams Durant played on. “But also adding a guy like LeBron to a team that did really well last year without a guy like Joel, and then you add a healthy Joel. I think that is debatable.”

D’Angelo Russell gives his thoughts on the NEW 76ers

“But also adding a guy like LeBron to a team that did really well last year without a guy like Joel. And then you add a healthy Joel. I think that is debatable.
You know, LeBron is the greatest of all time. You know, Joel is… pic.twitter.com/Hw46fWrZMX

— MAL (@MindOfBron) August 16, 2026

Russell spent parts of two separate stints with the Lakers, including as James’ teammate for a full season. He has firsthand experience with exactly the kind of roster Philadelphia is now navigating, with multiple accomplished scorers sharing touches, shots and a spotlight built for one.

Rather than agreeing with Durant’s bold comparison, he mentioned the same tension analysts and rival executives have pointed to all summer. Whether James fits next to a fully healthy Joel Embiid is a legitimate question rather than a guaranteed result.

Russell also gave his take on James’ individual standing regardless of how the fit plays out. “LeBron is the greatest of all time,” he said, before talking about the rest of Philadelphia’s core. “Joel is ex-MVP, Jaylen Brown Finals MVP, Maxey coming off of the year he had, Edgecombe — the sky is the limit.”

He had already predicted years ago, during their time as Lakers teammates, that James might end up playing 25 NBA seasons. A forecast that looks increasingly accurate now after James signed a two-year, $8 million deal with Philadelphia carrying a team option for a second season.

A Roster Under Pressure to Deliver

Russell’s “championship-or-bust” take isn’t new. 76ers legend Allen Iverson said the same thing about what’s now expected of James in Philadelphia. With Embiid, Brown, Maxey, Edgecombe and James all sharing a frontcourt and backcourt built almost entirely around individual accolades, the pressure Russell described isn’t just about beating regular-season expectations.

It’s about whether a roster this decorated can actually share the basketball well enough to make a real title run. A question that will start getting answered once training camp opens in late September.

On the Club520 Podcast, Jeff Teague, who won a championship with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021, gave his take on how Doncic compares to James Harden as a scorer.

“They both hold the ball the whole time. James was just able to manipulate the defense way easier,” Teague said (h/t) Legion Hoops (NBA Courtside). “Like you had to foul him or he was going to make a layup pretty much, or he was going to shoot a step-back three. It’s like you really couldn’t stop him.”

Jeff Teague says James Harden is a greater scorer than Luka:

“I think James scored easier than Luka… They both hold the ball the whole time, James is just able to manipulate the defense way easier. You had to foul him or he was going to make a lay up, or he was going to shoot a… pic.twitter.com/tNMlZ1SdmI

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) August 11, 2026

“Luka, you can’t stop him either, but I think James had a little more,” he continued. “I think that James was harder to guard.”

Harden built his MVP-caliber prime in Houston almost entirely around exploiting foul rules and shooting angles. He used the step-back three and a mastery of drawing contact to make him functionally unguardable within the rules as they existed at the time, a skill so effective it prompted the league to adjust foul-drawing regulations specifically because of him.

Doncic, by contrast, has built his own scoring dominance around footwork, size mismatches and one of the most versatile shot-making arsenals in the league. But Teague’s point is that even elite defenders had fewer clean answers against Harden’s style of step-backs and foul-baiting than they do against Doncic’s approach.

Two Players Who’ve Both Had Turbulent Years

The comparison comes at an interesting moment for both players. Harden’s 2025-26 season took an unusual turn of its own as the Clippers traded him to Cleveland in February in a deal centered around Darius Garland, only to be blamed for the Cavs’ playoff exit.

Doncic, meanwhile, has fully settled into his new home after the blockbuster trade from Dallas. He closed out his first full Lakers season by averaging 33.5 points, 8.3 assists and 7.7 rebounds, and helping the team to 53 wins and the No. 4 seed in the West.

Teague’s take won’t settle the debate about who’s the tougher cover between the two. Doncic’s size and shot versatility make him a matchup nightmare in his own right.

But it’s an opinion from a player who spent parts of his own 12-year career guarding both eras of pick-and-roll scoring. And it adds one more voice to the ongoing conversation about where Harden’s prime-years scoring instincts rank among the most difficult guards the league has ever seen.

On Nightcap, Shannon Sharpe put Joe Johnson through a Start, Bench, Cut exercise involving three point guards: 73-9 Stephen Curry, championship Kyrie Irving, and triple-double Westbrook.

Johnson’s response: Curry to start, Irving to the bench, and Westbrook cut entirely. (h/t) NBA Hoops.

Shannon Sharpe puts Joe Johnson on the spot with a Start, Bench, Cut between 73-9 Steph Curry, Championship Kyrie Irving, and Triple-Double Russell Westbrook.
Start: Steph Curry
Bench: Kyrie Irving
Cut: Russell Westbrook pic.twitter.com/4Y6hUdzF1z

— NBA Hoops (@Thechat101) August 16, 2026

Westbrook is the NBA’s all-time triple-double leader with 209, a nine-time All-Star and the 2017 MVP. One of only two players in league history, alongside LeBron James, to surpass both 25,000 career points and 10,000 assists.

The comparison itself was built around the peak seasons of each player rather than their full-career stats. Curry’s record-breaking 73-win 2015-16 Warriors season, Irving’s 2016 championship run alongside LeBron James in Cleveland and Westbrook’s historic triple-double seasons in Oklahoma City.

Irving’s Championship Case Wasn’t Enough for the Top Spot Either

Irving didn’t escape either. He, arguably, has the single most iconic shot of the three players’ careers: his championship-clinching three over Curry himself in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals, which helped to complete the Cavaliers’ comeback from a 3-1 deficit against a 73-win Warriors team.

Even with that signature moment in his résumé, Johnson still slotted Irving behind Curry. He opted for the bench rather than the starting nod.

Johnson’s rankings aren’t new. It is a long-running debate about how to compare regular-season dominance and statistical volume against championship pedigree and clutch moments when comparing point guards of the same era.

Curry’s inclusion as the unanimous starter makes sense given the 73-9 season remains the benchmark for a single NBA campaign. But the comparison Johnson made between Irving and Westbrook- the bench versus an outright cut- suggests that a “tougher” playoff success over a regular-season “stat-stuffing” is what separates one from the other.

It’s a debate NBA fans have had for years without coming to any agreement. And one that’s likely to come up repeatedly now that Westbrook’s career has come to an end.

James was spotted golfing and sharing a post-round lunch with Austin Reaves and Bronny James in a video posted by golf YouTuber Bob Does Sports. The clip, shared alongside the caption “LeBron, Austin Reaves, and Bronny ask Bob when he will break 80,” shows the three trading jokes with host Robby Berger and producer Jensen Curtis about his scoring struggles, quickly going viral across social media.

LeBron, Austin Reaves, and Bronny ask Bob when he will break 80

Our guy’s support system is off the charts pic.twitter.com/eMN95TTBvq

— bobdoessports (@bobdoessports) August 15, 2026

James left the Lakers this offseason to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers. He ended an eight-year run in Los Angeles and, by extension, his day-to-day relationship with both Reaves and his own son Bronny as teammates.

That made this reunion less about golf itself and more about James actively maintaining those relationships on his own terms, just weeks before training camp opens with his new team.

It also comes immediately after his YouTube channel launch, showing that James intends to use the platform not just for solo content. But as an ongoing hangout spot with the people who mattered most to him during his time in L.A.

A Friendship Built Through Golf Long Before This Video

James and Reaves’ golf relationship isn’t new. Reaves is one of the more well-known golfers in the NBA, regularly playing in offseason pro-am events, and James has credited him as the person who first got him hooked on the sport.

During his original Bob Does Sports debut back in April, James explained that he hadn’t thought about golf at all until Reaves nudged him into it roughly eight months earlier. After which he “went down the YouTube golf rabbit hole,” watching creators like the Bryan Bros. and Grant Horvat before eventually joining Bob Does Sports himself for a scramble round.

That same episode became a genuine viral moment. It racked up hundreds of thousands of views within hours and drew praise from golf media for James’ authenticity as a newcomer to the sport rather than a scripted celebrity cameo.

Reaves is entering his first full season as one of the Lakers’ clear go-to options following a $184.7 million extension. Bronny starts his third NBA season, and first without his father in the building; the golf outing is seen as a low-stakes way for all three to stay connected before their new basketball paths begin.

James has said his new channel will release new content monthly, meaning this likely won’t be the last time cameras catch him swapping the 76ers’ locker room for a golf course alongside old friends.

Stephen A. Smith addressed the ongoing scrutiny of Antetokounmpo’s wife, Mariah Riddlesprigger, during an appearance on the Culture Table podcast.

“Anybody who is talking about his wife, F*CK Y’ALL!” Smith said (h/t) Heat Central. “That’s that man’s wife. People cross lines. You don’t do that. This woman that is married to the Greek Freak don’t bother anybody. She loves on her husband, her family, and she raises her kids in a very beautiful way, and every man has things that matter to him.”

Stephen A Smith GOES IN on people who question Giannis and his wife:

“Anybody who is talking about his wife, F*CK Y’ALL! That’s that man’s wife. People cross lines. You don’t do that. — This woman that is married to the Greek Freak don’t bother anybody. She loves on her husband,… https://t.co/5YnubHU6MB pic.twitter.com/g1pgG8ISiI

— Heat Central (@TheHeatCentral) August 16, 2026

“We should appreciate and respect that about Giannis,” he continued. “We should respect that he values this wonderful woman who clearly completes him. If you have four kids with a woman, she completes you.”

Screenshots of online criticism targeting Riddlesprigger began circulating. Giannis Antetokounmpo chose to address it head-on rather than ignore it.

“I’ve heard so many things. ‘Why is Giannis with this wife? He could be with a model. Not one model, but ten!’” Antetokounmpo said. “I am with my wife because she tells me the truth. She loves me; she will tell me whenever I do anything wrong. She will tell my kids the truth. I know that she will kill for my kids, and she would even kill me for them. I am in love with her. As a woman and as a mother.”

Antetokounmpo and Riddlesprigger, a former Rice University volleyball player and entrepreneur from Fresno, California, have been together for over a decade. They have four children: sons Liam Charles and Maverick Shai, daughter Eva Brooke, and their youngest daughter, Aria Capri, born in May 2025.

The couple married in Greece on Sept. 1, 2024, in a ceremony attended by former Bucks teammates including best man Khris Middleton, along with Jrue Holiday, LeBron James and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

The two-time MVP, who is about to make a fresh start with the Miami Heat following his trade from Milwaukee this offseason, has faced criticism of his marriage publicly for years. It has resurfaced periodically online despite the couple’s general preference for keeping their family life private.

Antetokounmpo’s comments and Smith’s expletive response suggest that neither he nor those around him plan to let the criticism go unanswered going forward.

James officially launched his own YouTube golf channel over the weekend. And the first upload was footage from the reunion of the 2015-16 championship Cleveland Cavaliers, who traveled to Scotland to play a round together.

Early in the video, James had a conversation with his golf caddie and, upon learning the man’s name, couldn’t resist.

“No relation to Michael? My uncle,” James joked after finding out his caddie was named Jordan (h/t) yoxics. It prompted the rest of the 2016 title team to start comparing all of their own caddies to current NBA stars.

LeBron James trolled his golf caddie after finding out his name was Jordan, then the entire 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers team compared all their caddies to current NBA stars

"no relation to Michael? my uncle." pic.twitter.com/AfkJdw6cWM

— yoxic (@yoxics) August 15, 2026

Few rivalries in sports have generated as much sustained debate as the LeBron-versus-Michael Jordan GOAT conversation. It has followed James from his high school years through 23 NBA seasons and into his 24th with the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Scotland reunion brought together James with Kevin Love, J.R. Smith, Richard Jefferson, Tristan Thompson and Channing Frye. The core of the team that made the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history, rallying from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Golden State Warriors squad in 2016.

Over the roughly 90-minute video, James reflected on what the gathering meant to him personally.

“To be able to reunite with these guys and do a trip like this, it means everything to me,” he said.

Smith, now pursuing his own path in competitive golf after playing collegiately at North Carolina A&T, offered a similar sentiment about the group.

“These dudes represent everything that I love and everything that I aspire to be.”

Part of a Bigger Off-Court Pivot for James

The channel marks a new chapter in James’ post-Lakers, pre-76ers-debut offseason. One he’s said will feature him “bringing his friends and fans along for the journey as golf takes him to some of the world’s greatest courses,” with new episodes planned monthly.

James took up the sport seriously in March 2025 and has been increasingly public about his growing obsession with it since then. It included a recent on-course appearance on the popular “Bob Does Sports” golf channel that reportedly helped inspire the launch of his own.

With training camp for his first season in Philadelphia still weeks away, the reunion video offers fans one more glimpse of James in an unusually relaxed mode.

Kanter Freedom, who officially declared for the 2027 WNBA Draft, used a sit-down interview with former Auburn coach Bruce Pearl to lay out his dream scenario. He landed with the Indiana Fever and wants a modern-day version of one of basketball’s most legendary duos.

“I’m really excited. It’s going to be fun, especially if I get drafted by a team like maybe Indiana,” Kanter said. “They can definitely use some big. Me and Caitlin will be modern Kobe and Shaq. I’m telling you.”

Enes Freedom: Caitlin Clark and I will be the next Kobe and Shaq@EnesFreedom “Think about this… We’re going down the lane, Caitlin throws me a lob and I dunk it. Then me and Caitlin bump chests… which I’m allowed to do now, because I’m a woman.” pic.twitter.com/B9NsxzzB1z

— jay plemons (@jayplemons) August 14, 2026

Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal won three consecutive championships together with the Lakers from 2000 to 2002. They were one of the most dominant inside-outside pairings in NBA history.

Pushed by Pearl on whether he could actually make the roster, Kanter said. “I’m just thinking about this scenario, right? We’re going down a lane and Caitlin just throwing a lob. I cut the lob and I’m just dunking the ball,” he said, describing the connection that made the Bryant-O’Neal comparison work in the first place.

Kanter’s stunt began after Fever guard Sophie Cunningham’s remarks about opposing trans athletes in women’s sports set off a league-wide debate.

Kanter and fellow former NBA player Royce White both declared for the 2027 draft in the aftermath, citing the WNBA’s collective bargaining agreement, which states only “women” are eligible without defining the term.

The WNBA has not ruled on either declaration. League insiders have indicated that the organization isn’t treating the moves as serious roster threats. Kanter has maintained that the stunt is meant to expose inconsistency in league policy rather than mock anyone.

“I’m definitely not here to mock, make fun of, or disrespect any community or personal choices,” he said in an earlier video that’s drawn skepticism, given some of his more provocative comments.

A Mixed Reaction, With Some Backing From Unexpected Places

The response to Kanter’s Fever fantasy has been divided. Some fans agreed, while others mocked the argument.

Not everyone in the NBA media has been as forgiving. Stephen A. Smith said Kanter’s overall campaign had “gone too far,” even while he acknowledged the underlying question about the league’s eligibility rules.

The 2027 draft is still months away, and the WNBA has yet to issue any formal eligibility ruling on either Kanter or White. The Kobe-and-Shaq comparison remains a hypothetical scenario rather than anything close to a real front-office plan.

Clark and the Fever have not commented on Kanter’s remarks. And there’s no indication Indiana views the pairing as anything more than the latest chapter in a publicity campaign that’s shown no signs of slowing down since it started.

The NBA schedule release confirmed the Phoenix Suns will host the Philadelphia 76ers on Dec. 30, which happens to fall on James’ 42nd birthday. Asked about the coincidence, Brooks responded as expected.

“I’m excited. That’s more ammunition for me to win that game, but it should be fun,” he said (h/t) ClutchPoints.

“I’m excited. That’s more ammunition for me to win that game, but it should be fun.”

Dillon Brooks on playing against LeBron James on his birthday (December 30th)

(via @HaydenCilley) pic.twitter.com/ZhvWDKs4tc

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 14, 2026

Brooks could have played it safe and wished James a happy birthday, called the date a nice storyline, moved on. Instead, he treated it as leverage, saying the date gives him extra motivation to beat James rather than any reason to ease up.

It’s consistent with how Brooks has approached this rivalry from the start. He was initially unaware of the birthday coincidence when asked, but embraced it immediately once he found out, rather than downplaying it for the cameras.

Asked as a follow-up whether he was disappointed the two would face off less often now that James has left the Western Conference for Philadelphia, Brooks responded: “No, I’m not at all,” before adding: “But it’ll build up for the games that we play.”

A LeBron-Brooks Rivalry With Real History Behind It

Brooks and James have clashed since 2023. He first drew attention for saying he didn’t fear James and that he only respected players who’d scored 40 points against him.

He has kept the rivalry alive off the court as well, recently naming James the most overrated player in the league during a livestream with streamer N3on, without hesitation.

With James now playing for a stacked 76ers roster alongside Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Jaylen Brown, his role and minutes are expected to shift. Philadelphia is only scheduled to play Phoenix once more beyond the Dec. 30 matchup.

That is part of why Brooks’ comments landed the way they did. Rather than treat the reduced number of meetings as the rivalry cooling off, he framed the one guaranteed contest left on the calendar as the game worth circling, birthday or not.

On the latest episode of “Pablo Torre Finds Out,” Torre presented what he described as newly obtained documents from inside the Clippers’ own marketing department. He showed that staff repeatedly coordinated with Daktronics representatives to schedule promotional appearances involving Leonard and his uncle, Dennis Robertson, throughout the spring of 2021.

“There was a crucial aspect of the Clippers scoreboard partnership that proved difficult when it came to execution, which is that the Clippers had apparently agreed to do business by way of Kawhi Leonard’s uncle, Dennis Robertson,” Torre said.

EXCLUSIVE: How involved were the Clippers in Kawhi Leonard's hidden side deals?

Per internal emails obtained by @PabloTorre, the team repeatedly prodded its scoreboard-maker to schedule "activations" with "KL" in 2021.

Daktronics exec wrote back: "Thanks for the reminder! Go… pic.twitter.com/9nrdZxhRVh

— Pablo Torre Finds Out (@pablofindsout) August 14, 2026

“But Kawhi himself apparently did not want to do anything for these unannounced multi-million dollar quote-unquote sponsorship deals… the Clippers, meanwhile, in order to not break the NBA’s cardinal rule, really would have needed Kawhi to do something, to do anything, no matter how low the lift, to make an extremely lucrative job with a jumbotron manufacturer seem even vaguely real.”

Torre walked through the emails in detail. The first, dated March 16, 2021, came from a Clippers marketing employee to a Daktronics contact: “We wanted to check in to see if your team has already met with the player and his rep, or if you have the meeting on the books. We look forward to beginning the activations.”

As Torre noted, that email was before Leonard’s KL2 Aspire LLC. The entity behind his Aspiration deal, by eight months, and is before any public announcement of the Halo Board project by more than a year.

A follow-up a month later pressed further: “Wanted to check in to see if you’ve been able to connect with Uncle Dennis/KL to secure a date.” A third, from May 11, 2021, acknowledged the difficulty of the ask given the calendar. “Wanted to reach out to see if Uncle D has given you any update on timing with regard to the autographs. Playoffs are usually an off-limit time for us to approach players, but please let us know if you are able to work something out with Uncle D.”

A Daktronics representative replied the same day: “I’ll follow up and get back to you! Thanks for the reminder! Go Clippers!” A response Torre couldn’t get through reading aloud without laughing on air.

Why This Complicates the Clippers-Kawhi Defense

The significance, according to Torre, isn’t that the emails prove money changed hands. They don’t contain any dollar figures or payment terms, and multiple outlets covering the release noted the correspondence alone doesn’t establish a violation of NBA rules.

The significance is what it does to the Clippers’ main argument about the Aspiration situation. “I think it’s important to go back to what Ballmer said, when he talks about, ‘They’re off to the races on their own. We weren’t involved,’” Torre said. “That expression does not come with all of these email chains. They are in the starting gate, it would appear.”

Ballmer’s public defense has been on the idea that Leonard’s outside arrangements happened independently of the organization. These emails show that Clippers marketing staff managed scheduling logistics for a separate corporate partner’s engagement with Leonard’s camp, repeatedly, over a period of months, well before either the Aspiration or Daktronics deals became public.

This is now the second major Daktronics-related revelation from Torre in a matter of days. He alleged that Leonard was paid more than $28 million by the company through quarterly installments on top of his standard contract. That story cited an anonymous source who called the arrangement “1,000% a way to circumvent the salary cap.”

Daktronics said Leonard does not currently have an active contract with the company. They declined to elaborate further given the league’s ongoing Wachtell Lipton-led investigation.

With Commissioner Adam Silver’s deadline to wrap the probe “before next season” already passed. ESPN reported that the investigation could stretch into 2027, and now this latest email release adds documented, dated evidence to what had largely been built on anonymous sourcing and speculation.

That tension apparently hasn’t cooled. Thompson got the chance to name his all-time starting five this week, and Durant didn’t make the cut at all.

Appearing on PlaqueBoyMax’s Twitch stream, Thompson revealed his picks position by position: Stephen Curry at point guard, Kobe Bryant at shooting guard, LeBron James at small forward, Tim Duncan at power forward, and Shaquille O’Neal at center. (h/t) NBARetweet

Klay Thompson reveals his all-time NBA starting five with PlaqueBoyMax:

PG: Stephen Curry
SG: Kobe Bryant
SF: LeBron James
PF: Tim Duncan
C: Shaquille O’Neal

How many games is this lineup losing in a seven-game series? pic.twitter.com/I9hhW36eM6

— NBARetweet (@RTNBA) August 14, 2026

Durant spent three seasons alongside Thompson and Curry in Golden State from 2016 to 2019, helping deliver back-to-back championships in 2017 and 2018.

Thompson explained his choice of Kobe Bryant at shooting guard over Jordan.

“I gotta go Kobe at the two,” Thompson said. “I love Mike, but… I grew up watching Kobe. Got to play against him. Eighty-one. Twelve threes. Gold medals. God, I love MJ, but Kobe’s like a carbon copy of Mike, so I’m gonna go Kobe just ‘cause that’s my era.”

Thompson, when asked for his Mount Rushmore of basketball, added Jordan back in alongside Kobe, LeBron and Curry. Jordan earned a spot among Thompson’s four greatest of all time without cracking his starting five. A difference he couldn’t resolve on the show.

He explained his center selection by bringing up O’Neal’s physical dominance. Thompson drew a direct contrast to the shooting-and-spacing revolution he and Curry helped popularize a decade later.

“At center, I’m going with Shaq,” Thompson said. “Yeah, I grew up watching Shaq. You know how Steph warped the game as far as spacing? Shaq did the opposite.”

Duncan got the power forward nod on the strength of sustained excellence. Thompson called him the definition of consistency throughout his run with the Spurs.

Curry’s inclusion at point guard required no real explanation. Given that the two spent 13 seasons together in Golden State as the “Splash Brothers,” with four championships between 2015 and 2022.

When it came to his Mount Rushmore, Thompson clarified his selection criteria. He said it was based on what he’d personally witnessed rather than historical reputation.

“I wasn’t allowed to watch Wilt or Larry or Magic or Bill Russell,” Thompson said. “So, like, from my own eyes, it’s those four” – Jordan, Kobe, LeBron and Curry. Born in 1990, Thompson saw the tail end of Jordan’s prime with the Bulls but came of age watching Bryant’s Lakers teams dominate the league.

A List That’s Sparking Its Own Debate

Thompson’s list came the same week he shared an emotional reaction to Russell Westbrook’s retirement. And amid growing trade rumors linking him to a potential return to the Lakers.

As for the list itself, the swap of Durant for LeBron at small forward, and the near-miss on Jordan, are exactly the kind of selections built to spark disagreement. A reminder that even among players who shared a locker room and multiple championships, loyalty and admiration don’t always translate into a spot on the same five.