mobile app bar

Lou Williams Sets a Condition for Luka Doncic to Be Considered LeBron James’ Greatest Teammate

Dylan Edenfield
Published

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) and guard Luka Doncic (77) celebrate after a play during the third quarter against the Charlotte Hornets at Crypto.com Arena

LeBron James has played with several superstar teammates throughout his career, but it’s possible Luka Doncic will have a better career than all of them. Now paired with James on the Los Angeles Lakers, the Run It Back crew debated whether Doncic could become the 40-year-old’s greatest NBA teammate.

Nearly every future Hall of Famer who has played alongside LeBron has walked away from the partnership with a championship. Lou Williams believes Doncic will at least need to accomplish that before being compared to the likes of Dwyane Wade, Kyrie Irving, and Anthony Davis.

“[Luka] gotta get some hardware, gotta get a ring,” Williams said. “You look at everybody that’s paired up with LeBron James got a championship out of it.”

But the former Sixth Man of the Year did question whether the Lakers would be able to put it all together in time to legitimately contend for a title.

Considering the stark age difference between the 25-year-old Doncic and the 40-year-old James, Williams pointed out how difficult it will be for the pair to put the body of work together, emphasizing that the Lakers’ success will heavily depend on effort.

If Los Angeles is able to come away with a championship, though, Doncic would immediately enter the conversation of the King’s greatest running mates, according to Williams.

ESPN insider Alan Hahn also touched on the topic, debating which of LeBron’s star teammates fit the best with him on the court.

ESPN insider believes Luka Doncic and LeBron James will be a great fit

Hahn detailed how Doncic’s addition allows LeBron to settle into a more comfortable role as a second option. With Doncic taking over as the lead playmaker, James can utilize his elite strength and transition abilities for easy buckets in the paint.

The pair have already shown off their fastbreak capabilities in their short time together.

Hahn believes James knows the type of transcendent talent he is playing alongside and is willingly letting Luka take the reins of the offense. The 53-year-old underlined his confidence in the new partnership, saying, “You can argue Luka might be the better fit with LeBron than anybody he’s ever played with, including Dwyane Wade.”

LeBron and D-Wade were able to bring two championships for the Miami Heat, a likely unmatchable feat for the Lakers’ newest duo. However, Doncic and James have already proven their ability to operate seamlessly with each other on the court, which will likely prompt more statements similar to Hahn’s in the future.

Post Edited By:Sameen Nawathe

About the author

Dylan Edenfield

Dylan Edenfield

linkedin-icon

Dylan Edenfield is an NBA journalist at The SportRush. He has written 500+ basketball articles for various websites since starting the venture in 2016, as a freshman in high school. Dylan has been a writer and graphic designer for PalaceofPistons.com, a Detroit Pistons-based Substack and podcast, since 2016. As an avid Detroit Pistons fan, contributing and building relationships with fellow writers truly sparked his love for NBA coverage. Dylan graduated from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan in December 2023 with a Communications major in Media Arts & Studies and a minor in Sports Management. Dylan hoped to combine these two focuses to break into the professional sports journalism landscape. Outside of sports, Dylan is an avid gamer and occasionally likes to try other art forms, including drawing and painting. When it comes to something he creates, Dylan goes the extra mile to ensure his work is as good as it can be.

Share this article