Former LeBron James teammate calls 76ers ‘most dominant team ever’
After weeks of speculation about which team LeBron James would choose to play for next season, he surprised everyone by announcing he’d join the Philadelphia 76ers.
With his decision to sign a two-year contract with the 76ers, James spurned his former teams, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat, where he’d previously won NBA championships.
He also created an extreme shift in power in the Eastern Conference, making Philadelphia that much more formidable for opponents with their lineup. According to James’s former teammate, Patrick Beverley, it created “the most dominant team ever” in NBA history.
“I don’t want to hear nothing about it. This team is the most dominant team we’ve ever seen. … We talking about Tyrese Maxey, All-Star. VJ Edgecombe- young two-way player, bright future. Jaylen Brown- led a hospital team to second in the Eastern Conference. LeBron James- the King; we ain’t gotta say nothing. [Joel] Embiid, you can take every player off the team except Embiid and still go to the playoffs,” Beverley said.
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“Let’s not even start nothing. This is the most dominant team we’ve ever seen in the NBA, hands down,” Beverley said before the end of his video.
Unfortunately, this team has yet to be seen anywhere but on paper. The lineup certainly looks and seems imposing, but will they work together effectively immediately?
Embiid, Maxey, and Edgecombe played effectively together on the court, but now two new All-Stars are joining the starting lineup, and one has to wonder how they’ll gel.
Embiid has shown he can be an MVP-level player and dominant, but he’s also known to be injury-prone. That could hamper this lineup, even though they still have a lot of star power, should anything happen to the big man.
Additionally, James will turn 42 in December. While he’s still playing at an elite level for his age, there could be issues with his durability and his ability to contribute as he approaches retirement.
In terms of measuring sticks, some of the most dominant teams in the past 31 years include the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls, who went 72-10. The team featured Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Ron Harper, and Toni Kukoc, and eventually captured a sixth championship in franchise history in 1998.
The Golden State Warriors team in 2015-16 set a new record with their 73-9 record. That starting lineup included Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Harrison Barnes, and Andrew Bogut. Unfortunately, they failed to win the championship, blowing a 3-1 series lead against James and the Cavaliers.
Their 2016-17 team featured Kevin Durant and Zaza Pachulia joining Curry, Thompson, and Green. They were 67-15, which wasn’t as good a regular-season record, but they went on a dominant 16-1 run in the NBA Playoffs to win the championship.
Can the 2026-27 Philadelphia 76ers dominate opponents, rack up wins, and claim the Larry O’Brien Trophy after adding Jaylen Brown and LeBron James? That remains to be seen.
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