ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith believes NBA stars don't want to play with Los Angeles Lakers small forward LeBron James because they would rather beat him.

This doesn't go for every superstar, as New Orleans Pelicans big man Anthony Davis reportedly prefers to play for the Lakers. But it may apply to Golden State Warriors star Kevin Durant and Toronto Raptors star Kawhi Leonard, two players who can become free agents this summer.

Smith says because James is universally recognized as the best player in the game, other stars don't want to help James get more rings and add to his legacy because it will take away from their own shine.

Kevin Durant has won two straight Finals MVPs and outplayed LeBron in the last two Finals. And yet pundits still haven't put Durant over LeBron in their player rankings.

If KD wins his third ring this season, he will have the same amount of titles as James. Durant is trying to surpass LeBron as the best player in the world, so it wouldn't make sense for him to go to the Lakers and help James get more rings.

Kawhi Leonard has been linked to joining the Clippers instead of the Lakers due to the LeBron factor as well. The common theory is that if you win with LeBron, he will get all the credit, and that's not something superstars are trying to play with.