<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">12x NBA All-Star. 3x NBA MVP. <a href="https://twitter.com/MagicJohnson">@MagicJohnson</a> is No. 4 in all-time <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBArank?src=hash">#NBArank</a>. <a href="https://t.co/NckHRCzI1l">pic.twitter.com/NckHRCzI1l</a></p>— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNNBA/status/697484110361718785">February 10, 2016</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The one you've been waiting for. <a href="https://twitter.com/KingJames">@KingJames</a> checks in at No. 3 in all-time <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBArank?src=hash">#NBArank</a>. <a href="https://t.co/3K1VgqHhHG">pic.twitter.com/3K1VgqHhHG</a></p>— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNNBA/status/697496027058806784">February 10, 2016</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
100. Shawn Kemp 99. Kevin Love 98. Gail Goodrich 97. James Harden 96. Bobby Jones 95. Marc Gasol 94. Mark Price 93. Lenny Wilkens 92. Nate Thurmond 91. Maurice Cheeks 90. Paul Arizin 89. Yao Ming 88. Billy Cunningham 87. Chauncey Billups 86. Chris Bosh 85. Dave DeBusschere 84. Dennis Johnson 83. Chris Mullin 82. David Thompson 81. Sidney Moncrief 80. Grant Hill 79. Jerry Lucas 78. Sam Jones 77. Joe Dumars 76. Nate Archibald 75. Blake Griffin 74. Dolph Schayes 73. Dikembe Mutombo 72. Adrian Dantley 71. Pete Maravich 70. Artis Gilmore 69. Vince Carter 68. Bob Lanier 67. Dwight Howard 66. Chris Webber 65. Alonzo Mourning 64. Dennis Rodman 63. Tracy McGrady 62. Alex English 61. Manu Ginobili 60. Earl Monroe 59. Carmelo Anthony 58. Tony Parker 57. Robert Parrish 56. Pau Gasol 55. Dave Cowens 54. Bernard King 53. Wes Unseld 52. Bob McAdoo 51. Reggie Miller 50. Ray Allen 49. Russell Westbrook 48. Willis Reed 47. George Gervin 46. Allen Iverson 45. Paul Pierce 44. Dominique Wilkins 43. James Worthy 42. Bill Walton 41. Gary Payton 40. Elvin Hayes 39. Bob Cousy 38. Walt Frazier 37. Rick Barry 36. Clyde Drexler 35. Jason Kidd 34. Bob Petit 33. George Mikan 32. Patrick Ewing 31. Kevin McHale 30. Steve Nash 29. Chris Paul 28. John Havlicek 27. Dwyane Wade 26. Isiah Thomas 25. Scottie Pippen 24. Elgin Baylor 23. Stephen Curry 22. Kevin Durant 21. Kevin Garnett 20. David Robinson 19. John Stockton 18. Charles Barkley 17. Dirk Nowitzki 16. Karl Malone 15. Moses Malone 14. Julius Erving 13. Jerry West 12. Kobe Bryant 11. Oscar Robertson 10. Hakeem Olajuwon 9. Shaquille O'Neal 8. Tim Duncan 7. Bill Russell 6. Larry Bird 5. Wilt Chamberlain 4. Magic Johnson 3. LeBron James 2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 1. Michael Jordan
LeBron has the stats, both raw and advanced. He's got the totals. He's still got another 5+ seasons of elite level play. He's got a great case to be #2 even. But, it just doesn't show the whole picture. It doesn't show that LeBron has already played a longer career than Magic and Larry and Jordan, and yet has only beaten 7 50 win teams in his career. 2 of those are Western Conference teams from his titles with the most talented teams in Miami. 2 of those are last years anomaly Hawks and oft injured Bulls. That leaves 3 total Eastern Conference teams that won 50 games or more that he has had to face and beat in his ENTIRE career. The Pistons without Ben Wallace and Larry Brown, the Pacers before Paul George really became what he is today and the Bulls with Drose in his prime. That's it. He's had no challenge. He's had the easiest path to success of any star in the top 20. Even then, he finds ways to always complain. Too many minutes. Too long of a season. Not long enough breaks. Too hot and cramping up. Cant shoot in sleeved jerseys. Wants to get paid more. The list goes on and on. He's the NBA's most pampered star that's ever played.
As a rookie alone, he led the Lakers past the 55 win Suns who lost in the WCF the year prior and lost in the Finals 4 years prior. Then beat the 56 win Sonics who won the NBA title the year prior and lost in the Finals the year before that. Then beat the 59 win Sixers who were in the ECF 3 years prior and NBA finals 4 years prior and would go on to play in the next 3 years in the ECF, and the NBA finals two more consecutive years. He scored 42 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals in game 6 of the finals to win the title at Center while Kareem missed the game due to injury. FMVP. That's just his rookie season.
See Caesar's post. Magic was unbelievable. The NBA still hasn't seen a player as versatile as him. He could play and guard 5 positions. Lebron comes close.
This list is dumb. Active players shouldn't be on it until they're done. When it's all said and done, Lebron will be #2 of all time.
People don't want to admit it, but you should try to argue for Magic and Bird. Bring out the stats, individual, and team accomplishments and see how they stack up. Lebron is better than them both NOW. It will be a bigger gap when he retires.
You're (probably purposely) neglecting to mention that James was on garbage teams prior to joining Miami. Those Cleveland teams had virtually no good players and certainly no great players outside of James. Yeah, the East as a whole was terrible, but James was dragging a bunch of nothing to the ECF and Finals. Magic played on stacked teams pretty much his entire career (at least prior to his initial retirement). When James finally got excellent teammates, he beat other tremendous teams like the Thunder and Spurs. Last year, by the time they faced the Warriors (already one of the best teams in NBA history even before this year's ascension to perhaps the single greatest), James was pretty much again dragging a pile of nothing due to the injuries to Love and Irving. And Cleveland still won two games. James' only real peer among perimeter players is Jordan. Magic and Bird (and Oscar Robertson) can compete with him offensively, but in no way were the defensive players that James was.
Lebron's offensive game is not elite. And Curry proved that last year. Curry is what Bird would look like in 2016. So to say that Lebron plays both sides of the ball, is a little bit of an overstatement. He plays elite defense and his offensive game is adequate at best, especially compared to the greats. To me lebron is closer to pippen than anybody would like to admit.
This is absolutely laughable. Curry proved what last year? I"m sure you saw the Finals. The better team won, the better player lost. And Pippen? Did you forget Lebron average 58% shooting one year. Sucks the hate for Lebron is still so strong. When he retires, no one will argue where his place is among the greats. The guy is a living legend right now. He's having a "down year" and yet he's still putting up 25/7/7. That's a DOWN year for HIM.
