Ex-Lakers Star Shares Honest Thoughts on LeBron James Joining 76ers Amid Ownership Shift

The LA Lakers made history in an entirely different way, changing hands in a record $12.5 billion sale to Bob Iger and Josh Kushner. A deal that closed out one franchise-altering era in Los Angeles just months after LeBron James ended his eight-year stay in the Crypto.com Arena.

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.”

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.