During the 16 NBA seasons of Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, his teams have reached the NBA Finals nine times and won championships on three occasions.
That ability to continually challenge for a title caused Los Angeles Clippers guard Lou Williams to say that had the future Hall of Famer played in a different era, James would have won 15 championships in a row.
The 32-year-old Williams appeared on Gilbert Arenas’ “No Chill Podcast,” as Williams agreed with Arenas that the evolution of players’ abilities makes them far superior to those of past eras.
Lou Williams: “Drop LeBron in 75 & he’d win 15 championships”
They also said that Scottie Pippen & Dennis Rodman would legit look like “little guards” in today’s league 👀
— Hoop Mixes (@TheHoopsMixes) June 26, 2019
“I always have these debates with my friends,” said Williams. “I was like, ‘Bro, can you imagine dropping LeBron in ’75?’ Like just drop LeBron now that you know in ’75. I was like ‘Bro, he’d win 15 championships in a row.'”
Williams also hinted that even current benchwarmers in the NBA would thrive if they were transported to the game that was played a half-century ago:
“You take the worst player that you can think of in your head in the NBA and put him in ’68…”
Williams entered the NBA in 2005 and has battled James’ teams countless times. He knows that even players from less than 30 years ago lack the size of active players, with James’ massive frame of 6-foot-8 and 250 pounds having allowed him to thrive in the current environment.
The selection of 1975 is also notable for the fact that during that previous era, there was no dominant team, especially during the 1970s. While the Lakers did win five NBA titles during the 1980s, only their latter two came in successive years in 1987 and 1988. Until that 1988 title, no team had won consecutive titles since the 1969 Boston Celtics.
Williams’ Clippers are considered one of the favorites to win the 2019-20 NBA championship, but James will be aided on the court this season by the Lakers’ addition of Anthony Davis. Those upcoming battles at Staples Center figure to be tightly contested affairs in which James’ presence will undoubtedly be felt.
