Contrary To Popular Belief, LeBron Going To The Sixers Is NOT "Ring Chasing"

Sean M. Haffey. Getty Images.

For years now, I've gone to bat to defend LeBron James, simply because he's my favorite athlete of all time. I don't think it's any secret that I'm a raging Bronsexsual. Everyone in my life knows that. But today is the first day that I get to defend LeBron James because he's a fucking 76er. And I'll ride and die for every player who proudly wears the "Phila" across his chest (unless you're Paul George, Tobias Harris, or Ben Simmons, in which case I will wage vendettas against you forever). 

There's this negative connotation behind the term "ring chasing," and unfortunately, that term has been thrown around quite a bit to criticize LeBron's decision today. And I guess my biggest question is: What the fuck do you want him to do?

He had to leave Los Angeles. His contract was up, and it was very clear that the Lakers' new ownership viewed him as an impediment to their long-term goals. That's Luka's franchise now. Keeping LeBron around was holding them back from building a roster around their star of the future. He couldn't stay there anymore. 

So where do you want him to go? To play for the fucking Pelicans? To spend his last couple years in the league on a dogshit team, fading off into irrelevance? 

No. He was always gonna go to a contender. He was always gonna try to win another championship, which is truly a bizarre thing to criticize a player for. 

I mean, how DARE him! Wanting to compete and play winning basketball instead of just coasting off a fat paycheck? Tisk tisk. What a disgrace!

And just because he said Philly was his best chance at winning a ring doesn't mean that he wouldn't be trying to win a ring elsewhere. If he went to Cleveland, he would be trying to win a ring. That's a team that was just in the fucking Conference Finals. If he went to Miami, he would be trying to win a ring. Him and Giannis together with one of the best coaches in the sport would've been fascinating. 

I just don't get the idea that because he didn't go to one of his former teams, oh, well now he's DEFINITELY ring chasing. Why is that so? Is it because the Sixer roster is far superior to the other options he had in his decision-making process? 

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Well that's funny. Because everyone and their mother keeps telling me that Joel Embiid sucks. That he's a shell of himself who only plays 25% of the games. They also tell me that Jaylen Brown is a cancer who wants the shine and the spotlight, but there's only one ball to go around. 

And surely these people can't say that LeBron is ring chasing because the Sixers are too successful of a franchise. That's not true at all. The Sixers haven't won a title since 1983, and they haven't even made it past the second round of the playoffs since 2001. 

This is not ring chasing. This isn't going to the reigning champion Knicks. This isn't signing up to play for the Thunder or the Spurs. This isn't latching onto the 73-9 Golden State Warriors. 

This is going to a franchise that's been in absolute purgatory for 10 years now. The Sixers are in second round Hell, coming up short time and time again from making it to the Conference Finals, let alone the NBA Finals. Sure, does it look like they finally have a roster that can get them there now? Absolutely (on paper). But this is not LeBron just riding the coattails of guys like Maxey, Brown, and Embiid to get a ring. He's gonna play a pivotal role in bringing this newfound core together, and that will be no easy task. 

Besides, the fact that people are so eager to criticize what a 41-year-old LeBron chooses to do with his career…it goes to show you that he's still got it. If he didn't, nobody would bat an eye at this. But clearly, he still has a lot left in the tank. And people are terrified.

He's not gonna be riding the pine hoping to win a championship from the bench. He's gonna be a key contributor in getting this cursed franchise over the hump for once. And hopefully, he will complete The Process. I can't wait.