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Bill Simmons says LeBron James is the best player in NBA history to experience impact Luka Doncic has brought to LA Lakers

Originally posted on NBA Analysis Network
By Aaditya Krishnamurthy | Last updated Jul 7, 2025 4:00 PM ET

Bill Simmons believes Luka Doncic’s arrival to the LA Lakers has given LeBron James an unfortunate distinction.

The Los Angeles Lakers boast possibly the best duo in the NBA today, as Luka Doncic and LeBron James are their two best players.

The Lakers landed Luka Doncic in a shocking trade in February. And in doing so, formed an incredible tandem.

But Doncic’s arrival could be the reason LeBron James decides to leave the team. James accepted his $52.6 million player option, launching speculation about his future.

James wants to compete for an NBA championship but understands that the Lakers are prioritizing building around Luka Doncic.

But this conundrum has earned LeBron James an unfortunate distinction no other superstar-level player of his caliber has in the past.

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Bill Simmons says LeBron James the best player ever to lose team to other superstar

Bill Simmons spoke about LeBron James looking to leave the LA Lakers. He believes James is the greatest superstar in NBA history to not be the first priority for a team.

He mentioned several superstars who avoided that fate. And since Luka Doncic’s arrival, James has seemingly been upset about his reduced importance to the Lakers.

“I think it’s as simple as this. He is the best NBA player to be in a situation like this, where he is on somebody else’s team.

“If I go through the best guys of all time that I have going down, Jordan was never in this situation.

“Bill Russell? Never. Kareem, never. Magic, never. Bird, never. Duncan, never.

“Wilt Chamberlain got traded twice, but even near the end, they won the title in 1972 on the Lakers. He was always controlling his own destiny. Curry, Kobe, Jerry West…

“You finally get to Hakeem as the first great guy who was like ‘Oh s___, my team doesn’t really seem like they want to build around me and have it be my team anymore.’

“I think that’s a really hard thing to deal with. It’s been like 23 years. Since the moment Luka showed up, then it was Luka, Luka, Luka… They’re changing they’re style on the fly to fit what Luka does. I don’t know if he’s a huge fan.”

LeBron James unlikely to be first priority for any team he goes to

If Bill Simmons is right, and he is upset about the LA Lakers wanting to build around Luka Doncic, then he might not get what he wants even if he leaves the Lakers.

At 40 years of age, James is nearing the end of his career. So any team that he goes to will have that fact in mind.

Plus, James is likely to join a team with another superstar. Why would any team that lands him prioritize a 40-year-old superstar over a much younger star with years left in their career?

LeBron has given no indication about his future, but we know that he wants to compete for an NBA championship.

It will be interesting to see whether the Lakers are able to build a roster that James deems good enough to contend.

This article first appeared on NBA Analysis Network and was syndicated with permission.

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