
Caption: Lebron James celebrating his record setting basket. Courtesy of Mark J Terrill/AP Photo
Let me start by saying that I’m pretty much aware of Lebron’s greatness. I came to admire his game, his mentality and his overall approach to the actual game of basketball. I said this before I get a bunch of unsolicited attacks, and labeled me as a Lebron hater. I just happen to think that Mr. Michael Jordan is the greatest of all time. Casual fans will now say that James is the best ever simply because he broke the NBA scoring record. They oversimplify the GOAT debate and the media seems to feed from it.
Now that I got that out of the way, let me continue by stating that Lebron James is by far the most accomplished, decorated superstar in the last 20 years. He is also the most influential player in the association, and the most admired by current NBA players. However, the fact that fans and pundits alike are bringing back yet again the ‘GOAT’ debate truly irritates me. I ‘m transparent, I’ don’t like how Lebron James conducts his business outside of the court, and more importantly I’m not a big fan of him breaking the all-time scoring record.
Let’s face it, Lebron James is not a scorer, he is a natural facilitator. When you think about great scorers of the game, Lebron’s name doesn’t come up, it never does, you think of Steph Curry before him. He has only won one scoring title in his 20th year career. You think of players such as Jordan, Kobe, Karl Malone and of course Kareem. But, that is typically what Lebron fans usually state when trying to make their point across and argue his greatness and GOAT status. That even as a facilitator, he was able to be the top scorer.
But, no, that has nothing to do with that. Lebron broke the record because of his longevity and his actual desire to do it, and not because he is the greatest player of all time. There was no time management back when MJ or Karl Malone were playing, players had to play every single night. Lebron’s strategy to choose when and when not to play was meant to extend his career, and so far that has given him fruits. That is precisely one of my greatest criticisms to him.
Do you seriously think that if Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant wanted to be the all-time leading scorers they wouldn’t be? They were focus on winning championships, on being the MVP of the league. They knew that they didn’t need a record to cement their legacy. As someone who grew up in Chicago, Ill always have MJ in the top of the GOAT debate. I could go on and on on why MJ is the greatest.
Lebron is up there but not even close. The fact that he just broke the record doesn’t make a difference. Therefore, please stop with that nonsense. There is only one GOAT and that is Michael Jeffrey Jordan.
The fact that Lebron is the all-time leading scorer doesn’t change a thing. The media and current fans must look beyond Lebron’s recent accomplishment and focus on what really matters: Championships and MVP trophy’s.