LeBron James is currently on the top of the NBA world. This makes his nickname “King James” all the more appropriate. He is currently the reigning NBA Champion, having won the past two year. He has also been elected to the All-Star team 10 times and has also been named the league MVP four times. Since being drafted in 2003, LeBron has always been one of the best players on the court. Using his unique blend of size and athleticism, LeBron’s career has been nothing short of spectacular. All this success leads to many debates on just where LeBron should rank among the all-time greats.
Statistically speaking, LeBron is among the best. Now in his 11th year in the NBA LeBron has an average of 27 points, seven assists, and seven rebounds. Simply put, LeBron is a basketball machine and he dominates in every facet of the game.
The player LeBron is most compared to is Michael Jordan. Many people would consider Jordan the greatest of all time, both for his on the court production and for what he did for the game itself. Through his illustrious career, Jordan averaged 30 points, five assists, and six rebounds. While Jordan has the advantage in scoring, LeBron is clearly the better passer and rebounder. The difficulty when comparing player’s stats is that unless they play the same position, it is very hard to accurately compare the two.
Another issue one encounters is the eras in which they played. The game has changed and evolved so much over the years that it would not be fair to compare a player from one era to another. For example, it would mean nothing to say that Wilt Chamberlain was the better player than Jordan simply because he gets more rebounds. As one of the first dominant centers in the NBA, Wilt towered over his opponents and truly dominated the game.
One could make a strong argument for Wilt to be among the conversation of GOAT. His career averages of 30 points, 22 rebounds, and four assists speaks for itself. Another player that many consider among the greats is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Kareem had one of the longest and most illustrious careers in the history of the NBA. His career averages of 24 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, and three blocks per game are truly impressive.
One wing player that is often mentioned among the greats is Larry Bird. Bird had career averages of 24 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists. These numbers are eerily similar to LeBron’s and given the fact that they played the same position, it is easier to compare the two.
One final player I would like to bring to the discussion is Oscar Robertson. Throughout his career Robertson dominated the NBA. He took advantage of his combination of size and athleticism to have one of the most impressive careers in the history of the league. In his career he averaged 25 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds, including one season in which he averaged a triple double.
As you can tell, there have been many players who have put up gaudy stats. The list could go on and on and there are many players who deserve to be in the conversation. There have been so many talented players throughout the years but few have impacted the game as much as LeBron has.
LeBron is currently sponsored by some of the largest companies in the world such as; Coca-Cola, McDonalds, State Farm, Samsung, and most notably, Nike. LeBron is known internationally and Forbes magazine has ranked him one of the most influential athletes in the world.
LeBron has been the face of the NBA and nothing has shown that will stop soon. The only player that can really rival LeBron in impact of the game is Jordan. Jordan’s amazing career is one of the primary reasons the NBA is as popular as it is today. If you need any more proof of his impact, Jordan still makes over $80 million in shoe sales, yearly.
The truth is there are truly too many talented players to determine who really is the GOAT. Everyone will have their own opinion or criteria for determining who the greatest is. If you go solely by statistical accomplishments, LeBron is right up there among the best.
When you consider the impact he has had off the court, plus his international popularity, one can make a strong argument for him. LeBron is certainly the top player in the NBA today and you’d have trouble making an argument to not have him in the top ten in the history of the NBA. Instead of having endless debates on who is better than who, we should celebrate the fact that we get to witness one of the best players in the history of the league. We should also honor the former greats for all their contributions to the game we all love today.