Philadelphia 76ers legend Charles Barkley didn't hesitate to rain on Philly's LeBron James campaign earlier this month. The Hall of Famer made it clear that LeBron is "not coming to Philly" and shouldn't. If he did, Barkley is convinced the NBA world would further accuse the forward of being a ring chaser.
Weeks after Barkley's July 7 interview with 97.5 The Fanatic, the NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal dished his thoughts on the matter. If you didn't like Barkley's anti-ring-chasing statement, then you might love what Shaq had to say.
Shaquille O'Neal raises the right point that Barkley missed
"What we realized towards the end of our career is once we're done, we can never play again. So, you never wanna you never want to retire and say, 'I should have did this. I should have did that.' He still has two or three years left, I think. So, kudos to him for trying to align himself with the team where he can win another championship," O'Neal told ExtraTV.
"That's what it's all about. A lot of these haters call it ring chasing, but yeah, you're supposed to be chasing rings because if you chase rings and you accomplish getting rings, that's what we call greatness. Those who haven't achieved greatness call it ring chasing because they haven't achieved greatness."
LeBron is no stranger to the ring-chasing accusations. The superstar forward has played for some of the league's most notable superteams throughout his era. The move to the Miami Heat in 2010 was considered ring chasing. The move back to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2014 was the same.
After the Sixers added Jaylen Brown to the roster that still has Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, along with the exciting young VJ Edgecombe, the Sixers have been considered a ring-chasing destination ahead of the 2026-2026 NBA season. Here's the thing that Barkley really missed: How are the Sixers any different than the Cavs--or any other LeBron suitor for that matter?
Here's the reality
It's probably safe to assume that the Sixers, Cavaliers, Heat, and the Golden State Warriors are LeBron's top four. If you want to toss the dark horses in the mix (Minnesota Timberwolves, Denver Nuggets), then that works too.
Each team here is considered playoff-caliber. Do you know what they all have in common? They have all been further than the Sixers during the Joel Embiid era.
The Miami Heat haven't won the NBA Finals since 2013, when LeBron was on the team, but they've been to the Finals stage twice since he left, with their most recent appearance happening in 2023.
The Warriors won the NBA Finals in 2022. The Nuggets won in 2023. The Timberwolves are still working on getting one. Still, they have at least been to the Western Conference Finals twice over the past three seasons.
Now, when you talk about Cleveland, it's a similar situation to Miami. The last NBA Finals they took home was with the leadership of LeBron in 2016. Even with that, the Cavaliers just went to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2026.
If you want to call a potential LeBron-Philly linkup ring chasing, fine. But understand the Sixers are the only team in the bunch without a Conference Finals appearance within the last two decades. Going to Philly and finally getting them over the hump should strengthen his legacy, not damage it with ring-chasing narratives.
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