Ex-NBA pro on LeBron’s season: ‘I expect more from somebody…chasing the G.O.A.T’

Former NBA guard Rashad McCants shared his thoughts on NBA icon LeBron James’ season with the Los Angeles Lakers after the team was eliminated from the playoffs by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals.

“Gotta give him flowers,” McCants said. “He’s done a lot for the league. He’s done a lot for the young fellas. But, essentially, winning is a metric for me. So, I’d give him a C. I think – I expect more from somebody that’s chasing the G.O.A.T. (greatest of all time). It’s the highest standard you could be compared to. So, you have to outplay and outdo everybody all the time. There’s no rest. There’s no excuses. There’s no lack of accountability.”

McCants did give credit to James for getting the Lakers past the Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs, which the star forward did mainly without fellow stars Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic. The Lakers took a 3-0 lead in that series before Reaves eventually returned for Game 5 and Game 6.

But the retired guard also said that James doesn’t deserve credit for coming up short, as the Lakers were swept by OKC in the Western Conference semifinals.

McCants, to be fair, was consistent in his argument, adding that players like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and others also failed to get the job done later in their careers.

While McCants may view that James is still chasing G.O.A.T. status, it’s hard to discount what the 41-year-old did in the 2025-26 season. James made yet another All-Star Game, and he averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game while shooting 51.5 percent from the field and 31.7 percent from 3.

Then, in the playoffs, he stepped up his game with Doncic (hamstring) sidelined, averaging 23.2 points, 6.7 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game. One could argue that James was the best player on the Lakers during their postseason run.

McCants has taken plenty of shots at James, including discounting his role in the Lakers’ title run in the 2019-20 season. Lakers fans shouldn’t worry too much about McCants’ thoughts on the season, however, as he only played a few seasons in the NBA himself after being the No. 14 overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft.

Meanwhile, James is still playing at an extremely high level and could return for his 24th NBA season in the 2026-27 campaign.

The G.O.A.T. debate will likely go on until the end of time, but the Lakers star is undoubtedly one of the greatest players ever, and he has plenty of accolades to prove that.

Hopefully, James will continue to add to his legacy by returning to the league in the 2026-27 season. He’s an unrestricted free agent this coming offseason, and it’s possible he won’t be back with the Lakers after spending the last eight seasons with the franchise.