I don't know what LeBron can do to surpass Jordan. I think the best he can do is make it a 1 and 1a situation. I think when its all said and done, it will be Jordan, then LeBron, then everyone else.
Honestly, I want LeBron to be GOAT, but the factors of he doesnt have the "killer instinct" or the "nastiness" to him that Jordan has will make him lack fans. His game is COMPLETE, Defense, Offense, bball iq, vision, unselfishness, the works. But because he never won in Cleveland, and had to join D Wade in Miami (even though this is his team now) will put haters against him. Jordan is a mythical basketball god that seems untouchable. But LeBron just might clime Mt Olympairjordanus
He just has to maintain his current level of play long enough, such that his prime overlaps with the point where the general public forgets about just how great Jordan was. We're already getting there. Now that they've finally started to accept that LeBron's the best player of this era, we're already seeing the Kobe Stans come up with asinine argument after asinine argument to denigrate MJ's accomplishments, so they can pretend their hero is just as good (or better). They're just the beginning. You've got a whole generation of fans who, if they saw Jordan play at all, it was as an overweight 40-year-old jump shooter for the Wizards. We'll be hearing arguments about how defenses are more sophisticated post-Jordan and how the athletes are so much better now. It happened to Russell and Wilt, it happened to Kareem, it's happening to Magic, and eventually it's going to happen to MJ. All LeBron has to do is keep being the best player on the planet and wait.
IMO lebron is already one of the GOAT. there are not too many players in NBA history who can carry a team virtually by themselves. magic is the only player that reminds me of lebron in terms of skillset and versatility, but magic was more of a finesse player than a power player. id rather not get into who is the GOAT debate, but i think there are a solid 10 players you could make the case for. i am sorry but rings dont mean everything whenever you are talking about individual players. IMO the best way to answer the "who is the GOAT" question, is to ask yourself: "if you had one player to build a team around, who would it be?"
I know if Kevin Durant beats him even once in the finals he won't ever be considered the best. And there is a chance that happens. I really think people forget how great Durant actually is.
Lebron is a ridiculous player no doubt, but I want to see what he can do without 2 other top 15 players. Jordan had Pippen, so Lebron can have Wade, but Chris Bosh was a superstar PF at the time he joined Lebron. He was considered a top 5-10 player. The only reason he isn't now, is because he is overshadowed by Lebron and Wade. Without Bosh, they almost lost to the washed up celtics in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals, and needed him back to win. Does that scream GOAT to you? Way too early to crown him anything IMO.
I believe he managed to take the incredibly talented and stacked Cavaliers to the finals and basically the playoffs every year
Wish people stop talking about him playing with Bosh and Wade. He took Cleveland to the Finals twice and the talent on those teams were not great. In Miami last year Bosh missed a good bit of the playoffs and Wade had some on and off games. The on constant was LeBron James.
Lebron was never unclutch, he's been better than Kobe for example, his entire career. People just moaned that he passed to wide open shooters rather than forcing ****ty shots.
To some, Lebron will never be the GOAT. To some, he already is. In my mind, the guy is so polarizing there will never be a consensus on his status. People will always throw MJ and Kobe into the mix. When MJ hit the court, most people agreed that this guy was the best. When Kobe and the Lakers were on fire, a lot of people thought he was the best. When Lebron takes the court, a smaller set of people think he's the best ever, but another set of people just want to see him fail. I don't think that hatred was as great for Kobe or MJ, they weren't as polarizing. Lebron has achieved a lot, and he can turn the course of any franchise, but best ever? I can't say I'm ready to hand him that title yet, but I'm not quite sure what more the guy has to do!
He has to do it five more times. If he does that then I will gladly eat crow but I don't see that happening.
I think Jordan's legacy is only going to become more legendary as time goes by. He is remembered as being the best player in a golden era of basketball and once he became top dog, he was virtually untouchable until he retired (I think people generally overlook the playoff loss to Orlando for a multitude of reasons even though I don't agree with them). When people assess Jordan's career, they remember the following; - Never lost a finals series - Was the best player in every finals series - Won a lot of titles and MVP's - Unstoppable scorer in a variety of ways - Lockdown defender - Unquestionably clutch - Never afraid to be the man, he demanded the ball - Scored the winning basketball in the '82 NCAA championship game (although Worthy had the better game by far) - Tough as nails. Took the hits and still prevailed over the physical play of the Knicks and Pistons - Won a championship the right way (stuck with Chicago his entire career) - Retired at the height of his powers. Well, there were those 2 years in Washington and although I think it tainted his legacy somewhat, it is nowhere near as bad as if he kept playing in Chicago and eventually played 25 mins per game averaging 18 points or so. People never saw an ailing Jordan in a Chicago jersey and that preserves his legacy, similar to celebrities who die young like Bruce Lee or James Dean. - The many many Jordan moments; 'Spectacular move', dunk on ewing, free throw line dunk, eyes closed free throw, ridiculous layup against the nets, epic 63 point performance against Bird, shot on Ehlo, 3 pointers against Portland, Flu game, dunk on Mt Mutombo & finger wag, NCAA winning basket and so many more. - Finished his Chicago career with 'The Shot' It isn't just Jordan's skill level that gets him branded as the greatest ever; it is the culmination of the Jordan legend. In all honesty I think Lebron has missed his chance to be considered the GOAT. Even if he surpasses Jordan in raw stats and efficiency, skill level, MVP's and titles, there are too many marks against him already such as finals losses, the decision, mentally weak moments, giving up on Cleveland. Even little things like passing up the final shot in this year's all star game will blemish his legacy. For Lebron to surpass Jordan, I think his career had to follow something like this; * Enter the NBA and immediately make Cavaliers a great team * Become serious contenders in 4-5 years * Become NBA champions within 7-8 years * Win 5-7 consecutive championships, and finals MVP in all of them * Develop a few intense rivalries, but always wins those matchups. * Hit a few memorable buzzer beaters, preferably in the playoffs/finals * Along the way, win multiple MVP's, scoring titles, DPOY, NBA first team, all-star-MVP. * Retire at the top of his game (after winning either the MVP or a scoring title), all the while having spent his entire career in Cleveland and seen as a saviour of the city. Obviously the requirements are virtually impossible but I really do believe a player needs to achieve something like that in order for the media to seriously reconsider Jordan's position. Lebron is the most gifted player we have seen in a long time, but the way the media propagates the Jordan Legend really does make it tough for The King and the newer generation alike.
There is no mjore rings with Miamia in next 3 year for sure. Now Bulls - bad matchup for them, then Pacers - super bad matchup (lost in regular season), in even if advance they will play memphis/Spurs, and there is no chance they win. I'm trying to be objective, their team just sucks big time against good defensive teams.
The fact that he needed Dwayne Wade, who was already a champion, and Bosh another top 20 player, makes it tough. Jordan took his team, all the way, and basically missed 2 prime seasons. LeBron will need to continue to play like this and win more than 6 to even be considered IMO. He's gonna be on the Mt.Rushmore, probably as high as 2, but Jordan's level of play over his last 8 full seasons in Chicago, was otherworldly.
