Lebron James: the greatest of all time
Jeremy Platt, Staff Writer
With the upcoming NBA season fast approaching, the yearly debate of who the greatest basketball player of all time is reemerges. This year, the debate covers new territory. Lakers’ small forward Lebron James has become the first player to win Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) with three separate teams and has strengthened the argument that he deserves the title of NBA’s greatest player of all time (GOAT).
While former Lakers small forward Kobe Bryant puts up a strong case to be in the conversation, this argument is genuinely believed to be a two-man race between James and former Chicago Bulls shooting guard, Michael Jordan. Jordan was a revolutionary athlete that has shaped modern-day basketball and has been deemed the GOAT for years, until now.
James is coming off of his fourth career NBA Finals victory and is still believed to be the best basketball player in the NBA going into his 18th season. Last season, James placed second in voting for the MVP award which would have made him the oldest player to win the award. James has won league MVP on four separate occasions to go along with his four NBA finals MVPs. James has also gone to the NBA Finals 10 times in his career, making appearances with the Los Angeles Lakers, Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat.
The biggest argument against James is that he has only won four of his 10 finals appearances compared to Jordan, who has won a perfect six of six. The first rebuttal to that argument is that basketball is a team sport and it is not fair to solely put the blame on James for his team’s championship struggles. James also had to go up against tougher competition than Jordan. In the finals, James faced off against arguably the greatest teams in NBA history. When he was with the Heat, he faced the San Antonio Spurs, who were led by Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobli, and in one instance, Kawhi Leonard. James also faced the Golden State Warriors super team built around Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant and Draymond Green. He also had to square off against players like Russell Westbrook, Jimmy Butler and Dirk Nowitzki in the finals while they were all in or entering the prime of their careers.
Throughout James’ career, he has been named a 16-time all-star, 13-time first team all NBA, five-time all-defensive team and two-time gold medalist. Not to mention, James was also named Time Magazine Athlete of the Year in 2020. James has the most points and steals in NBA playoff history and the most triple doubles (double digit points, rebounds and assists) in the finals. He is also the first player to make eight straight NBA finals appearances.
Statistically, Jordan has scored more points than James, but James has a higher career field goal percentage and three point percentage. James also averages more rebounds and assists per game than Jordan.
In terms of being influential off the court, both players are arguably the two most popular athletes in the United States. Currently, Jordan owns the Charlotte Hornets and the most popular basketball shoe in the world. Jordan has a net worth of over $1.5 billion and set the foundation of the culture in modern-day NBA. James, on the other hand, is still building his legacy. James is much more politically active than Jordan has ever been and has publically supported democratic candidates in the past three U.S. presidential elections. Along with his own shoe brand, James has his own production company and built his own middle school. James’ “I Promise School” is located in his hometown of Akron, OH and is dedicated to students who are at risk of being high school dropouts and unable to financially afford college. The school offers services such as uniforms, food for families, career placement services, bikes and helmets for each student, transportation for qualified individuals and GEDs and job placement services for parents. On top of those services, the school offers free tuition to the University of Akron for all students that graduate.
While Jordan laid the foundation for James’ success, James has overcome Jordan’s greatness on the court and is on pace to make a bigger impact off of it. Both players are undeniably legends of the game and belong on the “Mount Rushmore'' of athletes in the United States.