Who is the greatest? A question that will never be answered. All NBA fans have their own list of players that hold a special place in their hearts, whether its a player who played for their hometown team or a player who created a highlight so captivating, it stuck with you. Players such as Jordan, Kareem, Kobe, LeBron, and Magic, Dominate the charts. NBA fans can not simply settle for a large list of "Great" players, thus pushing us to look for more answers, and more clues, to find out who really is, The Greatest of All Time.
LeBron James, The kid from Akron, Has he proved to be the Greatest? Lebron has played 11 seasons in Cleveland, 4 in Miami, and 2 in Los Angeles, but what separates LeBron from the group of highly skilled basketball players.
Scoring
LeBron is currently in his 17th season of work and has shown no sign of slowing down. He holds the record for most consecutive seasons, averaging at least 25 points per game, considering he has only NOT averaged at least 25 points per game in his rookie season. LeBron is well on his way to becoming the all-time leading scorer, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabaar. James is only short by 4,761 points, while it may sound like a longshot, it is more than possible. In his first season with the Lakers, LeBron suffered a groin injury, which led him to miss 27 games of the regular season. In those 55 games that LeBron played, he scored 1,505 points. This means that if LeBron played the next 3 seasons, and played just as many games as he did in the 2018-2019 season (55). He would pass Kareem in about 3 Seasons, while missing 27 games in each season.
Passing
James is one of the best passers the world has ever seen. Whether you like a flashy pass or a smooth pass off of a pick and roll. LeBron is well on his way to be in the Top 3 list in Assists and Points. LeBron is only 1,209 assists away from passing Steve Nash and breaking into the Top 3. If the season stopped today (January 24th), Lebron would have collected 464 assists. Considering that Lebron plays half of each season, he would only have to play 2 and 3/5 of a season to pass Steve Nash...While missing 101 Games.
Playoffs
While many knock LeBron for his 3-6 record in the NBA Finals, but fail to see the reason as to why he has lost 6 times in the Finals. His first trip to the finals was in 2007. It was remarkable that the 2007 Cavaliers were even in the finals, considering LeBron was the only all-star on the team. They played the San Antonio Spurs, led by Duncan, Parker, Ginobili, and Horry. The 2011 series against the Mavericks, is the only series where you can see why he deserved the criticism he got. LeBron clearly played subpar and was one of the main reasons they lost. After the Miami Heat won back-to-back championships, they played the Spurs in 2014, who added a young superstar, Kawhi Leonard. The main reason they could not secure their 3rd title is because Dwyane Wade and Bosh did not play to their ability. Bosh averaged about 11 points and 5 rebounds over the last 3 games, while Wade scored 21 points in games 4 and 5, Combined. In 2015 he faced off against the Warriors, everyone could see how good this Warriors team was getting. Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love were both out for the majority of the series, leaving LeBron by himself. Andre Iguodala received Finals MVP for his "incredible defense on LeBron", While LeBron averaged 36/13/9. The Cavs would go on to win the 2016 Championship, while being down 3 games to 1. The Warriors added Kevin Durant to an already dominant team, which made them virtually unbeatable. The Warriors would go on to win in 2017 and 2018, giving LeBron 2 more losses in the Finals.
Nobody has scored more points than LeBron James in the playoffs, Nobody has stolen the ball more than LeBron in the playoffs, LeBron had a block heard around the world, LeBron's ability to bring a team that is not built for deep playoff runs, into deep playoff runs, the list goes on.
Accomplishments
James has received 4 NBA regular season MVP's and 3 Finals MVP's. LeBron also holds the record for the most "All-NBA First team" acknowledgments. While LeBron is not short of accomplishments, what does LeBron have to do to cement his legacy as the Greatest of All Time, or has he done that already?
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