Former NBA champion Stephen Jackson says LeBron James removed himself from the conversation as basketball’s greatest player of all time by signing with the Philadelphia 76ers this offseason instead of returning home to Cleveland, arguing the move reflects a safer path than James’ legacy required.

Jackson made the comments on the “All the Smoke” podcast, saying he never anticipated James would land in Philadelphia. “I thought everywhere in the world, but Philly,” Jackson said, according to comments reported by multiple outlets including Yardbarker and Fadeaway World. “I did not think Philly. I’m sorry. I didn’t. I was one of those guys that thought he would go somewhere he was familiar with, even go to Cleveland.”

Jackson argued that a third stint in Cleveland, rather than joining an already loaded Sixers roster, would have been the only choice capable of keeping James in the same tier as Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant in debates over the sport’s greatest player. “All the talk you hear about, you know, the GOATs and him comparing him to Jordan and Kobe, for me, if he was thinking about it, which he probably never did, but Cleveland only thing that made sense for me to keep him in that conversation,” Jackson said, according to a transcript carried by BasketballNews. “I don’t think that was a best player in the league move of what a guy that I respect as being the best player in the league would do.”

James announced his decision to sign with Philadelphia in late July, ending months of speculation over where the NBA’s all-time leading scorer would play for his 24th professional season. In a social media post at the time, James described the choice as his “last decision” and said he had strongly considered retirement before committing to one more chapter of his career. “I believe I can help make the Philadelphia 76ers a championship team and I am so excited to energize a new fan base and start this incredible journey one last time,” James wrote, according to NBA.com. He signed a two-year contract that includes a player option for the second season, positioning him for a potential 25th NBA season if he chooses to exercise it.

The move places James alongside center Joel Embiid, guard Tyrese Maxey, forward Jaylen Brown and rookie guard VJ Edgecombe on a Philadelphia roster that finished last season 45-37 and secured the Eastern Conference’s seventh seed. The Sixers pulled off a stunning first-round comeback against the Boston Celtics, winning that series 3-1, before being swept in four games by the New York Knicks in the conference semifinals. James’ decision to leave the Los Angeles Lakers, where he spent parts of eight seasons and won an NBA championship in the pandemic-affected 2020 bubble, marks his third different franchise in six years and comes after a 2025-26 season in which he averaged 20.9 points, 7.2 assists and 6.1 rebounds across 60 regular-season games, numbers that climbed to 23.2 points, 7.3 assists and 6.7 rebounds during the playoffs at age 41.

Jackson’s take has become one of several prominent voices weighing in on how the move affects James’ legacy. Analyst Byron Scott separately noted that most fans judge James against the same historical figures Jackson referenced, pointing out that legends including Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar built the bulk of their championship legacies largely with a single franchise, unlike James, who is now entering a third different team in six seasons. Sixers coach Doc Rivers has also publicly questioned whether Philadelphia’s current roster construction is built to win a title, while Shaquille O’Neal has cautioned about the pressure now facing the group following James’ arrival.

The debate arrives during what has already been described as an unusually turbulent 2026 NBA offseason, one that also included high-profile trades sending stars Giannis Antetokounmpo, LaMelo Ball, Ja Morant, Jaylen Brown and Kawhi Leonard to new teams. Even amid that broader shakeup, James’ free agency decision was widely regarded as the offseason’s most closely watched storyline, drawing attention from figures including NBA Commissioner Adam Silver as speculation mounted over where the league’s most decorated active player would ultimately land.

For his part, James has given no indication that outside commentary about his legacy is shaping how he approaches this next stage of his career. According to reporting from ClutchPoints and other outlets covering his decision, James remains focused on pursuing what would be a fifth NBA championship as he enters this new chapter with the Sixers, regardless of how analysts like Jackson choose to score the move within the sport’s ongoing debate over its greatest player of all time.