The wait is over. LeBron James is officially a Philadelphia 76er, chasing one last title alongside Joel Embiid, Jaylen Brown, and a stacked roster. It is the kind of move that changes everything. But even before he plays a game, an old warning about the NBA icon has put Philly’s coach in front of an uncomfortable conversation.
Barstool Sports’ Dave Portnoy didn’t mince words when he said, “On the court and off the court. And you gotta get the off-the-court and the locker room stuff working. This guy has never been a team player off the court. No, he hasn’t. He’s been- when things go well, he takes the play.”
Portnoy stated that, “When things go well, he takes credit. When they don’t, he blames somebody else. That’s LeBron James.” However, co-host Brandon Walker interrupted, saying that James has detailed handshakes with most of his teammates across the teams he has been a part of. Besides, his ex-teammates loved sharing the locker room with him.
If we take his 2010-2014 stint at the Miami Heat, then LeBron built a historic friendship and brotherhood with the likes of Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. In fact, stories around the league say that Wade, who was the face of Miami, gave up the reins of the locker room once James arrived. And if you consider the Cleveland Cavaliers, then their summer reunion earlier in June speaks for itself.
“Are we doing revisionist history? Because Kyrie and LeBron,” Portnoy continued. The Kyrie Irving-LeBron James duo created history for the Cavs during the 2016 NBA Finals when they came back from a 1-3 setback to win the title against the Golden State Warriors. Critics have often pointed out that Irving left the team in 2017 because of his strained relationship with the King.
However, in 2025, Kyrie clarified that he decided to move on from the Cavs. “I would have loved to choose the franchise I wanted to go to…” he said. “I would have loved to develop next to some of my favorite players… It’s not that I dislike playing with [LeBron] at any time. It was just literally my time to move on.”
Yet, Dave Portnoy doesn’t seem convinced. He added more on the Philadelphia 76ers‘ head coach, Nick Nurse’s plate. Portnoy reminded the listeners, “I think there’s a lot of guys he’s run out of town. Ask the coaches if they like coaching him. The 20 coaches that he got fired. The ultimate coach killer.”
While LeBron James was on the roster, the Cleveland Cavaliers dismissed Paul Silas in 2005 and David Blatt in 2016. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers later fired Frank Vogel in 2022 and Darvin Ham in 2024. However, the question remains about James’ involvement in these shifts.
Now, Portnoy, who has lived in Philadelphia for a while, pointed out something important. According to him, the fans are tough and quickly reject athletes they see as fake or self-serving. From his understanding of Philly culture, he added, “They don’t stick around for the phony baloney business, all right? They’re not going to stick around for the LeBron phony act and all the disingenuous crap.”
So here, Dave Portnoy is just not worried about LeBron James’ influence on the Philadelphia 76ers locker room or coaching staff. He is also concerned about the fans’ perception. His logic and math are simple: James is not a team player. He might cause disruption, which could put Nick Nurse’s job at risk. Well, you could say he is assuming things here. And therefore, his observations will surely be tested in the next two seasons.
