Stephen A. Smith claims LeBron James deserves two statues, in Cleveland and Miami, along with Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson

LeBron James won two titles with the Miami Heat and brought his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers their first title.

Stephen A. Smith claims LeBron James deserves two statues, in Cleveland and Miami, along with Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson

Stephen A. Smith said LeBron James must have two statues built by Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers for bringing the level of success

LeBron James has won an NBA title in all three teams he has played for. He brought the Cleveland Cavaliers their first NBA title and helped the Miami Heat cement their status as one of the top franchises. His exploits at the Los Angeles Lakers are also exemplary. But Stephen A. Smith believes James’ efforts and success for the Cavaliers and Heat make him deserving of a statue in each city.

Stephen A. Smith was on his show First Take on ESPN talking about five players who deserve to get statues of themselves. On his list, he placed James with the Heat at 3 and James with the Cavaliers at 2. He said that LeBron James took the Miami Heat to 4 NBA finals in the four seasons he was there. That helped the Heat be one of the top teams in the league.

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For the Cavaliers, James brought success, which had eluded them since their inception. The championship was Cleveland’s first in 50 years. James’ impact makes him deserving of both statues.

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Stephen A. Smith had Giannis Antetokounmpo at no. 5 for bringing unprecedented success to the Milwaukee Bucks. Then he pitched for Klay Thompson and Draymond Green to have their statues built by the Golden State Warriors. Without the elite contributions of these two, there would be no 4 NBA titles in 9 seasons.

Smith put their teammate Stephen Curry at No. 1 on his list as the most deserving of a statue at Golden State. Without Curry as the fulcrum, the dynasty would not have taken off. Smith believes Stephen Curry’s elite-level scoring and clutch shots have been the basis on which the dynasty has found so much success.

LeBron James and his success for the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers

LeBron James joined the Miami Heat in the summer of 2010 after being frustrated towards the end of his time with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Teaming up with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, James led the Miami Heat to 4 straight NBA finals. After losing the first time, James vowed to make a difference to his game and mentality. That brought two consecutive years of success.

After 4 years with the Heat, James returned to his hometown Cavaliers. Teaming up with then-rising superstar Kyrie Irving and incoming trade piece superstar Kevin Love, James led the Cavaliers to their first title since they came into the league in 1970. Winning for his hometown team was James’ dream since he picked up a basketball.

Both these successes cemented the mentality that is still engrained in the teams to this date. Both the Miami Heat and the Cleveland Cavaliers have committed to building upon that success. That is the level of impact LeBron James has had, which, according to Stephen A. Smith, deserves statues.

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