It’s been a whirlwind since LeBron James announced that he will be joining the Philadelphia 76ers. There are plenty of different stories coming out about this signing; however, one factor that has seemed to have slipped through the cracks is how this impacts his legacy — specifically how fans will look back at his greatest teammates.
James coming to the Sixers makes a major shakeup to this list. It adds multiple great players to the mix and takes off some great players as well.
When making this list, there are several factors to consider. Players who were near the end of their careers, well past their primes, won’t be included on this list, as they were role players and now stars at this point. No disrespect to Shaquille O’Neal, Ben Wallace, Ray Allen, and Dwight Howard. Stats and accolades will be factored in as well as fit, except for the 76ers players at this time.
Honorable mentions: Russell Westbrook, Mo Williams and Zydrunas Ilgauskas.
LeBron James’ 10 best teammates of all time
For those who might be mad that Austin Reaves made this top10 list over Russell Westbrook, consider this. The downward spiral that has been the second half of Russell Westbrook, it started when Westbrook teamed up with LeBron. However, Reaves improved every season playing with the Hall of Famer.
The past two seasons, Reaves averaged 20 or more points as a member of the Lakers, including last season in which he averaged 23.3 points on 36.0 percent shooting from the 3-point line. Reaves might not have made an All-Star Game yet, but if he continues to ascend, he will make it, and unlike Westbrook, Reaves is a natural fit with LeBron on the court.
Just because Kevin Love is ninth on this list doesn’t mean this guy doesn’t deserve some respect. Prior to joining LeBron as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers, he was one of the most dominant power forward in the league. He had already made the All-Star game three times, All-NBA twice, All-Rookie and Most improved. He also recieved two All-Star nominations as a teammate of LeBron.
Love was essential to LeBron’s fast-break game with his outlet passes and was one of LBJ’s elite teammates who drastically changed his game to win a title. This is in reference to Love’s switch from working at the Elbow to becoming a very good stretch big.
Speaking of big man who drastically changed their game when he became a teammate of LeBron, enter in Chris Bosh at the eighth spot on this list. Prior to joining LeBron and Dwyane Wade as a member of the Miamim Heat, Bosh was one a top five power forward in the NBA. He was a dominate two-way big who was lethal at the elbows as he had already been named to one All-NBA team, All-Rookie team, and five All-Star games.
When Bosh formed the “Big 3” with LeBron and Wade in Miami, he had to give up the most to make the trio work. He moved to the center position and stretched his game out to the 3-point line so that LeBron and Wade would have enough room to operate. Bosh becoming a stretch big was the first big domino to change the center position to what it is today. It should be noted that Bosh was an All-Star each season he was a teammate of LeBron’s and even after LBJ went back to Cleveland.
Here’s where our first current teammate cracks this list: Tyrese Maxey. The combo guard has had one of the most unique rises in the NBA since coming into the league as a late first-round pick to becoming an All-NBA star. So far in his career, Maxey has averaged 25 or more points for three straight seasons while earning a Most Improved Player award, two All-Star appearances, and one All-NBA appearance.
Now, if LeBron were in his prime, one could argue that Maxey might be one of the potential teammates for LeBron based on his ability to play off the ball and be a high-volume 3-point shooter. Despite LBJ’s advanced age, the fit between him and Maxey due to LeBron’s playmaking skills.
While in theory Maxey could be the best guard fit, Kyrie Irving has been the best guard fit on paper with King James. With Irving’s ability to play on or off the ball, it allowed the dynamic duo to dominate for three seasons, which included a title victory. When he was teammates with LBJ, he was named an All-Star twice and an All-NBA. Even after Irving left Cleveland, he was awarded four more All-Star Appearances and two more All-NBA appearances.
Prior to LeBron coming back to Cleveland, Kyrie Irving had already made two All-Star appearances, was named to the All-Rookie team, and was awarded the Rookie of the Year title. It’s honestly a shame that Irving and LeBron were only teammates for three seasons. If they had played longer, one could argue that maybe they could have repeated as champions.
Brown is the next new teammate on this list, and until this season, Brown might have been a bit lower. However, Brown is coming off of a career year in which he averaged 28.7 points while finishing sixth in MVP voting, earning an All-NBA selection, and making the All-Star Game. In the past, he’s also made four other All-Star Games, one other All-NBA team, the All-Rookie team, the Eastern Conference MVP, and the NBA Finals MVP.
On the court, that is where the fit will be tested, as they do have similar play styles. The good news is that Brown has had to share the court with Jayson Tatum before and that LeBron doesn’t need to dominate the ball as he used to during his prime, so there’s a chance that they could learn to play off of each other.
If Anthony Davis had stayed healthy during his run with James, there’s an argument that they could have had more postseason success. Before joining the Los Angeles Lakers, Davis was awarded with an All-Rookie team selection, seven All-Star selections, one All-Star MVP, and three All-Defensive team selections.
Unlike Bosh, Davis didn’t end up extending his shot to the 3-point line on any consistent basis. Instead, he was the best pick-and-roll partner for LBJ that he’s had up to this point. That’s due to Davis’ ability to finish around the rim as a big man
In terms of pure offensive skill, Luka Dončić might be the best overall player on this list. However, there are two reasons why he’s not first on this list. The first being that for as good as he is on offense, he’s a negative defender, which seriously hurts him on this list. The second being that the fit between Luka and LeBron wasn’t seamless. They are essentially the same player on offense, which caused some offensive issues with the Lakers when they played together.
Before joining the Lakers, Dončić was awarded one Western Conference Finals MVP, five All-Star appearances, and All-NBA appearances. In his only season with LeBron, he led the league in scoring and made another All-Star and All-NBA appearance as well. It’s a shame that Doncic was LeBron’s shortest teammate partnership; it would have been interesting to see if they would have stayed together.
The last of James’ new teammates on this list is Joel Embiid. Unlike every other player on this list, Embiid does have a regular-season MVP to his name and probably would have won a second one before suffering a major knee injury during the 2023-24 season. Embiid also has seven All-Star appearances, five All-NBA appearances, and three All-Defensive teams to his name, as well as being named to an All-Rookie team. It should be noted that the center has averaged over 30 points three times.
It will be interesting to see the fit between LeBron and Embiid, as Embiid has lost his touch from the 3-point line the last two seasons and has never been a good lob finisher, so he doesn’t fit the traditional types of big men that LeBron is used to playing. If they can mesh and Embiid can return to his prime, Embiid might climb up to number one on this list.
While on the topic of number one on this list, it just doesn’t seem right if Dwyane Wade isn’t first among LeBron’s best teammates. Wade might not have an MVP to his name, but the argument could be made that Wade is a top-five shooting guard of All-Time. He’s and only Jaylen Brown are the only player on this list who won a title as the best player, and like Brown, he’s won a Finals MVP despite having Shaq as a teammate.
Prior to LeBron making the infamous “Decision” to join Wade and Bosh in Miami, Wade had six All-Stars, five All-NBA, three All-Defenses, and an All-Rookie Team selection. Once LeBron did come to Miami, Wade still had a strong career despite playing second fiddle to LBJ. He had six All-Star selections and three All-NBA selections since the “Decision”.
The fit wasn’t perfect between LeBron and Wade, but the duo was able to win back-to-back titles. That’s why Wade is number one. Now, after these two seasons in Philly, this list might need to be revised, but in mean time, this list is more than fair.
More NBA news and analysis:
Add us as a preferred source on Google
