Some things are opinion, and some are just fact. Like the Philadelphia 76ers adding LeBron James for a starting lineup of Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe at guard, James and Jaylen Brown at forward, and Joel Embiid at center – and creating the greatest starting five in NBA history.
Fact.
And I wrote it as such. Not so much an opinion column, but a news story. The 76ers have the best starting five in NBA history. Also LeBron is the greatest of all time. And the sun rises in the east.
Facts.
Makes for a boring Mailbagg, though…
Doyel: LeBron James gives 76ers best lineup, NBA title – if Embiid is healthy
GOAT LeBron James decides: Philadelphia 76ers
From: Marc F.
Unbeatable starting five for the Sixers – if the NBA moves up the 2027 NBA Finals from next June to this October. I’ll still take the 1984 Los Angeles Lakers any day of the week. That includes HOF coach Pat Riley. Or even the 1983 Sixers. Embiid would miss the remainder of the season after one quarter with Moses Malone. This article will probably set the all-time record for pushback.
Doubt it, my ultra-marathon-walking friend. Yours is the first note I received from the text group, but I have a feeling most people will agree with me. Facts being facts and all.
From: Matt D.
I don’t know man. Same thing could’ve been said about the 2004 Lakers:
C Shaquille O’Neal
F Karl Malone
F Devean George
G Gary Payton
G Kobe BryantOK, those are some pretty good facts too. But Karl Malone turned 40 in 2004. That’s old! LeBron’s only … never mind.
Still, as far as pushback goes, this is tame.
From: Kyle S.
Did you do any research before you wrote this?
Starting to get perturbed.
From: John S.
Gregg did you just call LeBron the GOAT? Come on now.
Perturbed is giving way to anger.
From: Glenda R.
I’m driving with Focus turned on. I’ll see your message when I get where I’m going.
If one more reader sends me one more snarky text…
From: Glenda R.
I’m not receiving notifications. If this is urgent, reply “urgent” to send a notification through with your original message.
That’s it. I’m done with this topic. Let’s move onto something less controversial.
Caitlin Clark and the 2026 Indiana Fever
An excerpt from my latest column on the Fever:
Three years, we’ve waited for this team to play this way. So many injuries, we’ve waited out for this team to win this way. But the noise, the bad kind of noise, is so loud around this team. The storm rages, as usual.
Sometimes the Fever create the storm, and sometimes the storm just sort of does what it does, coalescing around the Fever, turning stories we’ve seen before, many times, into BREAKING NEWS with LARGE HEADLINES as (certain) internet media companies rush to cash in on the three most important letters in journalism:
SEO.
I’m just pointing out what’s happening in our backyard. That’s OK, I assume.
Doyel: Indiana Fever, Caitlin Clark perform at high level in middle of online storms
From: Milburn W.
So, Gregg, you bought into it. Let’s create some negative noise around the Fever and try to distract from the best “feel good” story in Indianapolis. Brianna Turner felt so strongly about the sexual harassment issue when it occurred that she spoke up immediately – oops no she didn’t.
Turner felt so strongly about the issue that she risked the money she was earning at the time – oops nope she didn’t. She felt so strongly that she named the team (nope) and the person that said it (nope).
When did Brianna Turner cast these aspersions? Just after the Fever had beaten the Aces twice, once in embarrassing fashion. And after the Fever had climbed above the Aces in the WNBA standings. The supposed event happened a year ago. Why didn’t you write a story then?
We didn’t write about it a year ago because the Fever kept it quiet. No aspersions cast by me for that, by the way. If the alleged victim of the alleged sexual harassment asked the team to not discuss it publicly, the team did the right thing by keeping it quiet. We can’t write what we don’t know.
You ask why we didn’t write it back then, in the same note where you ask why we did write it now. Be fair Milburn!
From: Milburn W.
Oh and by the way … I am a Gregg Doyel fan. I have read every single article on this text thread, and a bunch before the thread. You are a superb journalist. But obviously, this one touched a nerve.
Well that’s fair. And nice. Thank you sir
From: Leigh H.
Have to say I’m not sure this added to the conversation in a meaningful way. I guess, to your point, this will get the clicks. Disappointed.
Promise, I don’t write for clicks. What do I write for? Food money!
From: Keith C.
All of this gave me a vision of the Bronx Zoo days. Except we didn’t have the internet back then.
No, but we had books – and the attention span to read them. “Bronx Zoo” was one of my childhood favorites.
Gav’s Classic is all heart
Enough with LeBron and the Fever. Let’s write about basketball in its most pure form – like this column from a backyard on the eastside of Indianapolis, where the Gavaghan family has been holding a 3-on-3 tournament for 50 years.
Fifty years.
What started as a lark for beer money became a massive annual fundraiser for hurting families, struggling schools and big-hearted churches. Gav’s Classic turned 50 this past week, and then turned out the lights. There won’t be another one. Why? It’s in the column.
What legends have played in this yard? It’s in the column.
Who’s the dude in the clerical collar?
In the column.
Doyel: Gav’s Classic, eastside backyard basketball tourney, turns out lights after 50 years
From: Jerry H.
Love these stories. In a world full of cesspool comments and clickbait, this kind of article makes my week!
Glad you like it Jerry, and thank you – but I write these stories for me. It’s like a mental sorbet, cleansing my palate after writing about the, um, cesspool comments and clickbait.
From: Ed W.
The eastside is full of good people. Thanks for some good news.
From: Chris B.
Great, heart-touching story. As a St. Matthew parishioner, I applaud the Gavaghans, their Gav’s Classic and the community spirit all inspired.
From: Vincent D.
Gregg! Thanks for the story on Gav’s Classic! I’ve had the honor of knowing the Gavaghan family since childhood at Little Flower. Great family and it’s so awesome what they’ve done for the community!
Doyel: U.S. Senate trying to stop SEC football from destroying college sports
Butler-IU basketball exhibition? SEC football ruining college sports?
College sports has become so weird. LeBron James will earn less money this season than 20 college players.
From: Geoff R.
I say let the SEC go, and not allow any other NCAA school to schedule an SEC team. LIV is their blueprint, and it didn’t work!
Love it: Georgia is Brooks Koepka. LSU is Phil Mickelson. Tennessee is Bryson DeChambeau. I could go on, but won’t.
From: Dan W.
Why are IU basketball-Butler playing exhibition series games? Should be regular season. Dumb!
Florida is Dustin Johnson, Ole Miss is Sergio Garcia…
Sorry.
Why an exhibition series for Butler and Indiana basketball?
You can’t lose an exhibition game. Not officially. It’s nice that #iubb would schedule Butler at all, and I suspect Butler would love it to happen in the regular season, but IU is in a can’t-win spot: Wouldn’t get much credit for beating such a smaller school in the regular season – but would take a public relations beating for losing to the Bulldogs.
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Not printing these
Sometimes – OK, a lot of times – I tell my IndyStar text group what I’m writing before I tell my bosses.
Don’t look at me that way! My boss is in the text group, so I figure he’ll see it there. You know, two birds and one stone. Something like that. You’ve already seen the response to the SEC football column above. Here’s the text that came before I wrote it…
From: Me to the group:
Let me tell you about the unbudgeted column I have coming – and about my boss, Nat.
He’s the best. Send him a text or email or bird to his window with a note tied around its foot, and he responds right away.
So he’ll see this, right away, as fast as most of you I guess. So I’m writing to him now:
Hay Nat. I keep reading more SEC football nonsense, talking about breaking away from college sports, and it hit me:
Just go, SEC. Just go.
Or shut up.
I’m writing it now, Nat. Not sure if you want to post it ASAP today, or in the morning. As I always tell you: I defer … and I love my bosses!
Join us: IndyStar exclusive: Join this free text message group with Gregg Doyel
From: Gregory F.
Hello Gregg. Is this the best way you have to suck up to the bosses?
Facts.
More: Join the text conversation with sports columnist Gregg Doyel for insights, reader questions and Doyel’s peeks behind the curtain.
Find IndyStar columnist Gregg Doyel on Threads, or on BlueSky and Twitter at @GreggDoyelStar, or at www.facebook.com/greggdoyelstar. Subscribe to the free weekly Doyel on Demand newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Doyel: LeBron as GOAT and 76ers as NBA favorite? IndyStar readers are, in a word, unconvinced
Reporting by Gregg Doyel, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Gregg Doyel, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
