Would another title put LeBron James among top-five Lakers of all time?
LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers went from being the 13th seed in the Western Conference in February to prepping for the Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals, which is set to get underway Tuesday night in Denver.
With the 38-year-old James just eight wins away from what would be his fifth NBA championship, how would capturing that ring impact his Lakers legacy?
On Tuesday's edition of "Undisputed," Shannon Sharpe argued that another championship, which would be James' second with the Lakers, would put him among the top-five players in franchise history.
"If he [James] wins another title, I would say you'd have to say he's a top-five Laker at that point," Sharpe said. "Two championships, it's either going to be he or AD [Anthony Davis] for Finals MVP, but if he wins another title, which would give him two, he wins another MVP, I don't see [James] Worthy being in front of him. I don't see [Jerry] West being in front of him. I don't see [Elgin] Baylor being in front of him, and I don't see Jamaal Wilkes being in front of him."
The Lakers have won 17 NBA championships and have featured plenty of superstars. According to FOX Sports Research, 29 Basketball Hall of Famers have suited up for the Lakers at some point in their respective careers. Meanwhile, Pat Riley, Slick Leonard and Del Harris were all inducted into the Hall of Fame as coaches.
Why Ring No. 2 makes LeBron a ‘Top 5 Laker’
Across James' 20-year NBA career, he has racked up four NBA MVPs, four NBA championships, four NBA Finals MVPs, six All-Defensive honors, 19 All-NBA honors, 19 All-Star Game appearances and one scoring title. James has career averages of 27.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 50.5/34.5/73.5.
After being selected with the No. 1 pick in the 2003 NBA Draft out of St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, James spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Cleveland Cavaliers before spending four seasons with the Miami Heat, whom he won two championships with. He then returned to Cleveland for the 2014-15 season and won a championship in 2016.
James joined the Lakers in 2018 and led the storied franchise to its 17th NBA title in 2020. He became the second-oldest player in league history to take home NBA Finals MVP honors, and the only player to win the award with three different franchises.
After defeating the Memphis Grizzlies in Round 1 and the Golden State Warriors in Round 2 of this year's Western Conference playoffs, the Lakers are now set to battle Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets for a spot in the NBA Finals.
LeBron, Lakers battle top-seeded Nuggets in Game 1
James is averaging 23.4 points, 10.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game while shooting 49.1/26.3/76.2 through 12 games this postseason.
"If LeBron were to win a title, I think you'd have to put him behind Magic, behind Kobe, behind Kareem and behind Shaq," Sharpe concluded. "He becomes a top-five Laker in my estimation."
