There are many different debates that NBA fans engage in, but there is no topic more controversial than “who is the greatest basketball player of all time?” Since the NBA has been around for quite some time now, you’ll receive numerous different answers from people of different generations.
Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, and Kobe Bryant were thrown into the conversation. However, I think it is time to admit that all of these names have been passed by one man, Lebron James.
Dubbed “the Chosen One” by Sports Illustrated while he was still in high school, James has had a mountain of pressure and expectations on him from the moment he entered the NBA. Now, twenty years in the future, I think it’s safe to say that he met expectations. Below I will list just a few of the reasons Lebron James is the best basketball player of all.
Longevity
Although this is sometimes used against Lebron in the greatest of all-time arguments, I will argue that his longevity is what sets him apart. Currently, in his 20th season, James has been an all-star every year since his rookie season and has also been named to the All-NBA team 18 times.
In addition, he’s still extremely dominant, even at the age of 38, as he’s averaging 29.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 7 assists per game. Despite not being in the MVP conversation, he’s putting up MVP numbers on a nightly basis. Not to mention that he was able to lead his team to 8 consecutive Finals appearances, which included three NBA championships. No player, not even Michael Jordan, has ever displayed such high-quality play for such an
an extended period of time.
Overall Dominance
When discussing the Goat NBA player, many times, Jordan’s scoring title or Kobe’s scoring explosions would be the main argument against Lebron. Although it is true that he is not as good as other players when it comes to scoring, he is still one of the all-time great scorers. After passing Kareem-Abdul Jabaar for the most NBA points in history, you can no longer leave him out of the best scorers in history.
However, where James really stands out is his overall efficiency and high basketball IQ. Over 1400 career games spanning 20 years, Lebron has been able to average 27.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 7.5 assists. There are less than five players in the NBA who could average those numbers for the entirety of one season.
He’s even shown his prowess on the defensive side of the ball, as he’s been on the All-NBA Defensive team on six teams, along with averaging 1.5 steals and 0.8 blocks across 20 seasons. He also ranks 2nd in field goals made all-time, 4th on the all-time assists leaders list, and 9th on the steals list. Lebron has truly demonstrated what it means to be an all-around player and has rightfully earned the title of the NBA’s GOAT.
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