Derek Fisher Defends LeBron James Amid Ring Chaser Allegations

Everyone had been waiting for LeBron James to make his free agency decision and now that the former Los Angeles Lakers superstar has chosen to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers, just about everyone has an opinion on that as well. One of the prevailing thoughts is that James is ring chasing by joining a 76ers team that already featured three All-Stars in Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and the recently acquired Jaylen Brown.

One person who doesn’t agree with that thought is former Lakers guard Derek Fisher, who won five NBA Championships in his career. Fisher noted that James isn’t chasing rings because players of his caliber create them and championships follow them wherever they go, via 97.1 The Fan LA:

“You’re not ring chasing when you’re the guy that creates the rings. Go back in NBA sports history, It’s not about what team the guy is on, it’s about where he is, not the city or the team. Lou Alcindor (or) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — he didn’t chase rings. Where he went, the rings followed. When you look at the history of all of the greats, it’s where they are that the rings go. It’s not the other way around. It’s not like a ring is sitting in Philadelphia and he’s going to chase it. His addition will increase the chances of them getting it. Yeah, they look good on paper without him, but they may not win it without him either, and they could also come up short with him.”

Fisher makes a good point in that championships follow the greats and that has been the case for James throughout his career. The 76ers before he joined them looked great on paper, but they were not being put in the championship favorites category alongside the New York Knicks, San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder prior to him signing. It was his addition that has catapulted them higher, but it also guarantees nothing as there are plenty of questions surrounding them.

James made no secret in that he felt the 76ers gave him the best chance of winning another championship of the teams he was considering and that is why he chose them, and players should care about winning rings. But labeling him as a ring chaser with this move might be going a bit too far.

Lakers’ Bronny James not expected to request trade to join LeBron James

Another question that immediately arose following James’ decision to join the 76ers was whether his son Bronny James would look to join him. But as it currently stands, there are no plans in place for the Lakers guard to be on the move to Philadelphia.