he has one championship. for someone who is supposed to be the next GOAT that is still fairly lacking. when he gets his second one let's re-visit this thread.
I don't understand why people quip about him only having 1 ring so far in his career. Do people forget Jordan not winning until the 90s after everyone got old? Based on pure potential I believe he has the highest ceiling of any NBA player ever. Right now top 10, in a couple years top 5 maybe 2.
he will still be the best player in the game for the next 3-4 years then either lamb, jones, or white takes over lol
Right now predicting top 10, I'll update that top 5 once I see more accolades. You sound like a hater. Try again.
No Kareem Abdul Jabbar?! IMO if he wins 4+ championships, he's top 5. If he wins 6+, we'd have to seriously consider him as the GOAT (as much as it pains me to say it)...
Isn't it time to stop proclaiming any one player as the all time greatest? Personally if I were starting a team and I could pick just one player to start my franchise it would by Magic Johnson. But can anyone really say he was any better than Oscar Robertson? Both of those players were great. Can anyone really say that MJ was better than Wilt? They played two different positions and both were dominant like no others. There is a group of greatest players of all time and LeBron is well on his way to being in that group. To me as it stands that group is: Oscar Robertson Magic Johnson Larry Bird MJ Dr J Kareem Abdul Jabbar Hakeem Olajuwan Moses Malone Shaq Tim Duncan Kobe Bryant Wilt Bill Russell That is my cream of the cream. The absolute best but in no perticular order because I don't think you can place them in any order. I'm certain there are others that can be placed in that list like maybe Connie Hawkins, but I never saw him play. I will never agree with Karl Malone or John Stockton but I grudgingly place both in the next tier of great players. Same goes for guys like Kevin Garnett, Kevin McHale, Isiah Thomas, Elvin Hayes, Clyde Drexler... they are all great but IMO they are in a tier below that first group. LeBron James is the one player today that has the talent to be in that list. He is the best player in the NBA today but IMO he needs some more years to prove he belongs in that list but I think he will make it.
I did mean to put Kareem on the list I just forgot. Yeah, after I put that, I thought about it a little more and yeah 10 is high, 15-20 is probably more like it.
Top 5 with another FMVP and 5+ seasons of 27/7/7. Top 3 if he does the same but wins 2 FMVP. I don't really care where LeBron ends up as much as I'd like for him to have a decent cast around him (so he has a fair, "equal" chance). This is the only way the comparisons and criticisms of LBJ can be justified. Only way LeBron can be GOAT now is if he goes 6 FMVP, which, while isn't impossible, is highly unlikely. He'll also have played in the NBA longer than MJ, which is a plus, not a minus. Despite what some believe, playing at an elite level for a long period of time is not detrimental to your resume, even if you fall short of winning the championship sometimes. It's nice that MJ won 6 in 8 years, but it doesn't make sense to discredit others. Maybe MJ would have broken down sooner if he stayed. Maybe he'd get hurt, etc.
to say anything above top 10 right now is premature. it really depends on how many rings he wins and how long he maintains his 'best player in the game' status. if his performance drops in a year, he struggles staying healthy, and miami only wins one ring with him, i'm not sure hell finish any higher than top 10. keep in mind he's never been able to score like kobe in kobe's prime.
Tier 1(no order) MJ Magic Kareem Bird Shaq Hakeem Wilt Russell Tim Duncan Kobe Oscar There is no way in hell that Moses Malone and Dr. J is a tier above Kevin Garnett. KG should not be compared to players like Mchale(cannot bring you a ring as the best player), Isiah Thomas(not nearly as impactful as KG, one way player and peak was short, played on a historically stacked team). When I think of players in Tier 2 I think of KG, Lebron(before winning a ring) Dr. J, both Malones, Dirk, The Round Mound, Admiral, Wade(if he a ring or two more) etc. Basically 11-25 all time type of players. A lot of these tier 2 players are actually comparable to tier 1 players some of them just never had the supporting cast necessary to be as successful(note I am saying some of them not all of them). When it is all said and done Lebron will be at least top 10 unless he gets injured or something maybe top 5. Getting higher than that will be hard. Lebron was a bit unfortunate since he had to play for the Cavs(a terrible organization).
B/c he has never taken 23+ shots on a consistent basis. There's a reason his assists numbers are always so high.
Top 5 easily. With the type of dynasty Pat Riley is building there in Miami, I see LeBron with at least 6-7 rings. I also see LeBron playing into his late 30's. He loves the game and his body is strong so it should hold up.
So Lebron never scored 35 points on poor efficiency? Ill take Lebron's 30/7.3/8.6/1.6(09) on 50% shooting over Kobe's 35.4/5.3/4.5/1.8(05) on 45% shooting any day. Not to mention the fact that Lebron was the better defender in 09 than Kobe was in 06. Also keep in mind career stats of: 25.4 with 55.4 TS%(Kobe) vs 27.6 with 57 TS% (Lebron)
15? 20?! LeBron has EXCEEDED the hype, & is already top 5 easily- right up there with Jordan, Dream, & possibly even Bird. 'nuff said.
Sad but true. However with each year the MJ fades away, and by the time LBJ's generation is done MJ will be relegated to the same area as Oscar R, a really good player but people haven't seen him play. I think LBJ will be seen as the GOAT after a few decades or so, provided he wins at least 2 more rings.
Wow. Some serious underestimation of MJ here. MJ played in a stronger era than Oscar and has way more accolades and achievements. Though there are other candidates for GOAT like Russell and Kareem he is the favorite and for good reason. There is a slim chance that LBJ will be seen as the GOAT. Chances are he makes it to top 5.
