Is Lebron James the Greatest NBA Player of All Time?
Matt Dominique | March 12, 2023
The face of the NBA, the current king of basketball… Lebron James. From making history with the Lakers to going back and winning the championship with his home-town franchise, there is literally nothing King James hasn’t achieved in basketball. With his extremely competitive mentality and immaculate leadership, Lebron James has been the star of the NBA for almost two decades, and has received countless accolades for his immense presence in the NBA.
However, despite his immense success and stardom, there has never been a general consensus deeming him the greatest of all time. That berth, at least until of late, has always been considered cemented until the end of time by the Chicago Bulls legend, Michael Jordan.
Now, however, a debate has risen from the side that argues that Lebron, and not Michael Jordan, is the greatest NBA player of all time. However, one thing is for certain. King James is probably the player that has the most polarizing views among NBA fans in the last few decades. If you’re an NBA fan, chances are that you have either one of the two opinions about Lebron James:
- He’s the greatest NBA and basketball player in the history of the sport.
- He’s nowhere close to being the greatest basketball player of all time.
Those who hold the former opinion hold it for obvious reasons. However, those who hold the latter opinion, often hold it because they can’t consider a player, no matter how brilliant and historic, to be the GOAT of basketball unless he has played in the prestigious basketball cities such as Boston and LA. This is mostly because of the aura and nostalgia that comes from playing in these historic basketball cities. Nevertheless, given below are reasons why Lebron James is the greatest NBA player of all time:
Statistical Prowess & Dominance
Lebron James is a magnificent all-round athlete (although there has been smoke as of late about PED use). However, he isn’t necessarily the best at collecting niche or specialized statistics, as he’s more of a player that makes the whole team tick and comes up with game-winning moments as well. Nevertheless, the fact that he is the 12th highest ball stealer in the history of the NBA, and also has the same position when it comes to all-time number of assists, shows that he is truly immaculate, as the only players in history with more assists than him are point guards, exclusively.
King James Can Play Anywhere On The Court
Few players in the NBA have been so consistently solid all around the court as Lebron has proven himself to be. He has superlative athleticism, a high IQ that can pick out the most creative of passes, and has the ability to defend anywhere on the court and quickly make a transition to attack.
Impact On His Teams
One can so easily look at the achievements of Lebron’s teams to measure up his incredible impact on them. If one looks at his first ever team, the Cavaliers, they finished in the playoffs 5/7 years in which Lebron was in Cleveland. However, right after his exit, that team entered a slump and started finishing bottom in their conference year after year. His new team, Miami, however, reached the finals in every single year in which James played in Miami and won two championships, albeit with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh.
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Conclusion
Love him or hate him, LBJ’s mark on the NBA is undeniable. He is either the best player ever or the runner-up. Perhaps if MJ played a few more seasons instead of retiring at his peak, then retiring again after championship #6, he would have set the bar so high that no one could question it. But as it stands Lebron owns the current records:
- NBA all-time leading scorer
- Most consecutive double-digit scoring games (1096 games)
- Most All-NBA First Team selections (13)
- Most 20-point games in NBA history (1,171)
- Only player in NBA history to record at least 30,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, and 10,000 assists.
- Only player in NBA history to be in the top 5 all-time in points, top 10 all-time in assists, and top 10 all-time in steals
- One of two players in NBA history to win at least four NBA MVP awards and four NBA Finals MVP awards (Michael Jordan is the other).
- Most all-time playoff points (7,631)
- Most all-time playoff wins (174)
- Most all-time playoff games (266)
- Youngest player to reach every round milestone in points (through 37,000)
source olympics.com
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