- avant-hier
🔥 On First Take, Stephen A. Smith throws down the gauntlet — he “double-dog dares” LeBron James to chase and win his final NBA championship with the Los Angeles Lakers.
In a fiery take, Stephen A. argues that LeBron’s legacy isn’t complete unless he delivers one more ring in purple and gold. With young talent like Deandre Ayton now joining the roster and rumors flying about Jokic and Luka, Stephen A. says now is the time for LeBron to prove he can finish strong — without hopping to another superteam.
Will LeBron stay and fight in L.A., or look for one last move elsewhere? Find out in this intense segment.
🔖 Hashtags + Keyword Tags (Inside the Description)
Hashtags:
#FirstTake #LeBronJames #StephenASmith #Lakers #NBALegacy #NBA2025 #DeandreAyton #LakersNation #ChasingGreatness #ESPN
Keyword Tags (Inside Description):
LeBron James Lakers final ring, Stephen A. First Take challenge, LeBron legacy Lakers, LeBron last title shot, Lakers 2025 title hopes, Stephen A. calls out LeBron, LeBron stay in L.A., Lakers with Ayton 2025, NBA legacy talk, LeBron James ring chase
In a fiery take, Stephen A. argues that LeBron’s legacy isn’t complete unless he delivers one more ring in purple and gold. With young talent like Deandre Ayton now joining the roster and rumors flying about Jokic and Luka, Stephen A. says now is the time for LeBron to prove he can finish strong — without hopping to another superteam.
Will LeBron stay and fight in L.A., or look for one last move elsewhere? Find out in this intense segment.
🔖 Hashtags + Keyword Tags (Inside the Description)
Hashtags:
#FirstTake #LeBronJames #StephenASmith #Lakers #NBALegacy #NBA2025 #DeandreAyton #LakersNation #ChasingGreatness #ESPN
Keyword Tags (Inside Description):
LeBron James Lakers final ring, Stephen A. First Take challenge, LeBron legacy Lakers, LeBron last title shot, Lakers 2025 title hopes, Stephen A. calls out LeBron, LeBron stay in L.A., Lakers with Ayton 2025, NBA legacy talk, LeBron James ring chase
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SportTranscription
00:00Hello, good morning, welcome in to First Take, and happy 4th of July, happy birthday America.
00:07I'm Courtney Cronin, in for Molly Karam this morning, and we have a jam-packed show for you today on this holiday.
00:14David Dennis Jr., Tim Bontemps here as well. How are you guys feeling?
00:18Doing great, Courtney. Fireworks all over us, I feel dangerous.
00:20Happy holidays, everybody.
00:22Dangerous thing.
00:22We've got a lot of fireworks here on First Take. We're going to get right into it, starting now.
00:26The Lakers finally got their big man on Wednesday, agreeing to terms with the former number one overall pick, DeAndre Ayton.
00:33And yesterday, they added to that depth, bringing back Jackson Hayes on a one-year deal.
00:38These moves were made just days after LeBron James' agent, Rich Paul, came out saying LeBron wanted to compete for a championship.
00:47So, LeBron wants a title. Obviously, there's a lot potentially standing in the way of that.
00:52And remember, at the end of last season, Luka Doncic was also the one being called out for not being in shape.
00:58So, David, starting with you here, does Luka or LeBron have more to prove next season?
01:04First of all, let's start with LeBron. LeBron has nothing ever to prove.
01:07This dude is the maybe goat of basketball.
01:09And we should move that away from our vocabulary, the idea that LeBron James should ever have to prove himself with all the accolades that he has.
01:17So, by default, the guy who has the most to prove right now is Luka Doncic.
01:22As you mentioned, he got dropped from the Dallas Mavericks and was unceremoniously discussed as a guy who was lazy, who was out of shape, who could not play defense.
01:32And he came back, you know, admittedly with the ball on fire, played great defense, played great for the Lakers until that fizzled out come playoff time.
01:40He was not the best player in that series against the Wolves.
01:45It was Anthony Edwards. His defense was atrocious. They were blown by him left and right.
01:49And now there's all the talk about what is he going to look like in the offseason.
01:52When you have a situation where people are talking about, are you in shape in the offseason?
01:57Then, yes, you are the guy who has the most to prove.
02:00Luka has to come back to this Lakers team as a top three to five player, an MVP candidate, and he has to be the guy who elevates this team to a championship level team.
02:09We could talk about DeAndre Aydin. We could talk about the people on the bench.
02:12We could talk about LaRavia and those guys. But this is about Luka Doncic showing up, being the MVP level guy, and saying, I'm going to put this team on my back.
02:20Yeah, I mean, it was very clearly throughout the season the baton was passed.
02:23It went from LeBron's team to Luka's team, about that halfway point of the season when those two got together.
02:30So do you see it the same way?
02:31I would say no, simply because the Lakers have to get Luka Doncic to agree to stay on their team, right?
02:38This whole season is about making Luka Doncic feel like he wants to spend the rest of his career, the rest of his prime at a minimum with the Los Angeles Lakers.
02:46And that begins on August 2nd when he can opt into, or not opt into, he can extend his contract beyond next summer when he can become an unrestricted free agent.
02:55And by the way, I think we've been talking a lot about LeBron James this week.
02:58If Luka Doncic does not extend his contract in August and he goes into next season as a guy who could be an unrestricted free agent next July when there's going to be a lot of cap space around the league,
03:08that is going to become the dominant story in the NBA, not just about the Lakers.
03:12So to me, this is about LeBron James.
03:14LeBron James hasn't had much time left in the NBA.
03:17LeBron James, as we have spent the last week debating and discussing the meaning of the Rich Paul, you know,
03:23opaque statement that he gave to Arsham Sharani on Sunday where the door was left open to the possibility of him wanting to play somewhere else.
03:30All of this noise around LeBron at the end of his career, there aren't many chances left for him to make any kind of a statement or a message or an argument
03:38about whether he should potentially be on the same level as Michael Jordan when his career is over,
03:42which is really the only thing left for LeBron James to do.
03:44To David's point, he's done everything else he can possibly do.
03:47We'll see if he can actually get to that point.
03:48But this season now, especially after the last few days have gone, whether it's LeBron James' final season or not,
03:54it's going to be about what is LeBron James going to do in the final bit of time he has left,
03:58whereas the Lakers, for this season, to me, it's about them proving to Luka Doncic that he should want to be there, not the other way around.
04:04Okay, so riddle me this, because I know we've talked about the possibilities of LeBron potentially going somewhere else,
04:09and he has that no-trade clause.
04:11There would be a lot of things that would have to take place in order for that to happen.
04:13Is it, when you talk about him having the most to prove, is it with the Lakers?
04:18Like, what happens if that idea that Alan Hahn, I believe, threw out on Get Up yesterday,
04:21maybe he goes to the Knicks somehow, someway,
04:24is it only that he has the most to prove if he stays in Los Angeles?
04:28What about if it's somewhere else?
04:29I just think it's the same thing either way.
04:31You're talking about a guy who's still one of the 10 or 15 best players on the planet
04:34and only has so much time left, whether it's one year, two year, three year, four years, whatever.
04:39He only has so much time left to play.
04:42So to me, it's just a matter of, all right, what is he going to do in that time he has left?
04:47And that does begin with the next few weeks.
04:49Like, at some point, are we going to get any clarity on what the future of the situation is with the Lakers?
04:53Are the Lakers going to come out and say, yeah, we're not going to entertain any of these ideas?
04:57LeBron's going to be on the team?
04:58Are LeBron and Rich Paul going to say anything beyond the opaque statement
05:01that left us all basically opening it to interpretation,
05:05trying to figure out what the meaning of it was and what they were trying to do
05:08after having a chance to become free agents and instead opting into the $52.6 million
05:13that he was owed for this coming season?
05:15To me, that all comes back to the same question, which is,
05:18how is LeBron James going to end his career, whether it's this year or over the next few years?
05:22And to me, again, if this question, you talk about the Lakers,
05:25Luka or LeBron, who has the most to prove this year,
05:27if you want to just change the question a little bit.
05:29To me, it's very clearly the Lakers.
05:30The Lakers have to show Luka Doncic after making this trade
05:33that they deserve to be the place he wants to be.
05:36They're on an audition much more to me.
05:39I mean, David's points about Luka are all correct, right?
05:41If he was in Dallas, we'd be talking about all those things.
05:43But he's not.
05:44He's in Los Angeles, and they have to prove to him
05:46that the Lakers are the place he should be rather than him saying,
05:49you know what, I'm going to wait until July.
05:50I'm going to see where I want to play next.
05:52Do you say it's Luka because it's his team now?
05:54Well, yeah.
05:54The Lakers are Luka Doncic's team, right?
05:58And you have a clear lineage with the Lakers in the 21st century.
06:01Shaq, Kobe, LeBron, Luka.
06:04You are following up on those guys.
06:06And the Lakers, the storage franchise, which now also has new ownership,
06:11who is now trying to pump a whole bunch of money into you,
06:13are saying, we're going to put all of our eggs in the Luka Doncic basket
06:16for the next 5, 10, however many years.
06:19And Luka Doncic also has something to prove here.
06:22Luka Doncic has to show that I am worth that
06:24because you can also have a situation where you look at Luka Doncic
06:27and you come to the same conclusion that the Dallas Mavericks did.
06:30Now, look, we talk about Nico Harrison and the trade and all that stuff.
06:33There are a lot of reasons to criticize the trade,
06:35not looking at other teams, not looking at getting more for him.
06:39But around the league, there has been concern about, hey,
06:41the things that they were worried about in Dallas are legitimate.
06:44When we're talking about Luka, can he play defense?
06:46Can he stay in shape?
06:47How motivated will this dude be?
06:49Can he maintain the health for the next few years?
06:52He also has to show that.
06:53This is a Lakers franchise that you are taking over.
06:56And this is something that you are taking it from LeBron James.
06:59LeBron James is passing the crown, whether reluctantly or not,
07:03he is passing the crown over to Luka Doncic.
07:05That is something that you have to earn.
07:07It's not just given to you because you took the Dallas Mavericks
07:09to the finals a couple years ago.
07:11The only thing I would point out about that is you went through that list of players
07:14in the past with the Lakers, right?
07:15They have this incredible lineage of players.
07:17Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar,
07:20Wilt Chamberlain, Kobe Bryant, now LeBron James, Magic Johnson, right?
07:24All of those guys thing to be in Los Angeles.
07:28The difference here is that Luka Doncic did not.
07:30Luka Doncic was stunned to be traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.
07:33He wasn't trying to leave the Dallas Mavericks.
07:35He had no intention of leaving the Dallas Mavericks.
07:37He would have signed a Supermax extension this offseason, right?
07:40So, again, all these questions about Luka after, you know,
07:44the conditioning, its ability to get through the season healthy,
07:47can he get a team back to the finals, all these things are fair questions.
07:50But the question is who has more to prove this season?
07:53Luka Doncic has nothing to prove in the situation he's in
07:56because this season is about the Lakers proving to him that's where he should be.
08:02Because I'll tell you what, the Dallas Mavericks might not have wanted Luka Doncic.
08:05All the other 29 teams in the league do want Luka Doncic.
08:08And if he does get to free agency next summer, it doesn't matter how this season goes.
08:12Every team that can potentially try to get him will be lined up at Bill Duffy,
08:16his agent's door, saying, what can we do to get Luka Doncic on our team?
08:20That's why, to me, all the questions you're bringing up are fair.
08:23He didn't sign up to be the face of the Lakers.
08:25He didn't sign up to be the guy who took the mantle from LeBron James.
08:28This isn't when Anthony Davis asked to be traded there.
08:31This isn't when Shaquille O'Neal signed there as a free agent.
08:33This is a totally different, unprecedented situation where Luka Doncic was very happy to be on his team.
08:39And, frankly, arguably in the history of the league, to have a top five player in the league
08:42where a team said, you know what, we don't want this guy on our team anymore.
08:44So, now, to me, the next 12 months, it's about, can the Lakers prove they're an organization
08:50that deserves to have Luka Doncic stay there long term?
08:53And we'll see what happens with that beginning with how they handled the situation with LeBron James.
08:56I've just never heard this before.
08:58I've never heard of a situation where a dude has all these questions in the offseason
09:01about staying in shape.
09:03Staying in shape is a big question about him.
09:04And that was calculated from J.J. Reddick when he said that.
09:06He wasn't saying anything about what LeBron James needed to do this offseason.
09:09I'm not saying the questions aren't fair, right?
09:14I think Luka's had a history of this.
09:16But the question is, who has more to prove?
09:18Where, right now, for the next year, it's going to be about proving to Luka Doncic where he should be.
09:23Well, I mean, but nobody's going to ask, nobody's asking these questions to LeBron James.
09:26If LeBron James does not win a championship in the next couple years,
09:28or however long he's in the league, nobody will say that this is a dink on his legacy.
09:32LeBron James will be the best 42, 41, 40, 39, 38-year-old player that we have ever seen.
09:38LeBron James is still right there with Jordan, no matter what happens next.
09:41If LeBron James is not winning a championship at 41 and 42 years old,
09:45nobody's going to say that this is a failure at the end of his career.
09:47Right, right.
09:47And everyone knows that LeBron James is coming into this season in shape.
09:51Everybody knows that LeBron James is going to play defense if, you know, this body can hold up.
09:56We're asking Luka Doncic, are you in shape?
09:59Your coach is talking about, are you in shape and engaged in defense?
10:02And there's no way that anybody who has those questions asked about them
10:05says they don't have anything to prove coming into the league.
10:07I would like LeBron to prove where he wants to play.
10:11That's what I would like.
10:11I would like to hear from Rich Paul and hear from LeBron just say,
10:14hey, you gave this statement the other day.
10:16What do you want?
10:17Do you want to be on the Lakers?
10:19Do you want to be somewhere else?
10:20Do you want to be traded?
10:21Can you please tell us?
10:23Because we spent all week wondering what it was, the meaning was.
10:26It'd be nice to know.
10:27A lot of reading between the lines there on that statement to Dave McMenamin.
10:30Last thing I want to ask you before we leave this here.
10:32You mentioned that the Lakers need to prove it to Luka, like why he should sign there
10:37when he has the option for a big contract.
10:40DeAndre Ayton goes there as a free agent.
10:42What needs to happen?
10:43Is the roster as constructed enough to contend to a level where you think Luka will be happy
10:48next year?
10:49Is there something else that has to happen in the meantime?
10:51I mean, it depends on what level we're talking about.
10:53If the Lakers are going to be a team that makes a run in the Western Conference playoffs,
10:56they have a lot of work left to do.
10:58One of his best friends in the league is Dorian Finney-Smith.
11:00He just left to go to the Houston Rockets, a rival in the Western Conference.
11:04That, to me, is not a great sign for the Lakers doing what they need to show Luka Donovan.
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