It was just another basketball game Wednesday night, January 16, for the Miami heat, one of the top teams in the NBA. This game was different, however, because Lebron James who had been, dubbed ‘The Chosen One” by Sports Illustrated, and was a starting guard on the verge of history.
Beginning when James was drafted into the NBA, right out of high school, he was considered one of the best in the league. It wasn’t until last June when he won his first NBA Championship with the Miami Heat however, that he was thrown into the mix with those identified as the “best of the best” to ever play the sport.
This question has often come up, especially in the recent months after the Heat had one of its best seasons ever, ending with winning the World Championship, and Lebron, won a gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics, and was named the regular season MVP as well as the Finals MVP. Is he the greatest player ever?
Many critics of James agree that he just doesn’t have the stats to compare to the NBA legends, however, Lebron does already owns many records, the most recent being his designation as the youngest player to ever score 20,000 career points. Lebron is also the youngest player to score a triple-double, where someone scores double digits in points, double digits in rebounds, and double digits in assists. On top of that, on January 16, he made his 5,000 career assist, he is the youngest player to be the number one overall pick in the NBA draft and is also the youngest to score 2,000 points in one season, and the youngest to score 40 points in a game.
Moreover, “King James,” at only 28, has a good ten years left in the NBA, which leaves him plenty of time to rack up more points, break more records, and, possibly, become the best player of all time. .” What specifically does he need to accomplish? I say Lebron needs to win at least 6 championships and 2 MVP’s to be thrown into consideration as the leagues all time greatest players
To do that, however, Lebron must win more MVP’s and more championships than the man now considered the best player to ever play the game, Michael Jordan. Jordan has 6 NBA championships and 5 regular season MVP’s. Scottie Pippen, another great NBA legend, weighed in on the issue of the heated debate. “Michael Jordan,” he said, ‘is probably the greatest scorer to ever play in the game, but I may go as far as to say that LeBron James may be the greatest player to ever play the game because he’s so potent offensively that not only can he score at will, but he keeps everybody involved and you have to be on your P’s and Q’s on defense because no guy on the basketball court is not a threat to score when LeBron James is out there.”
The Miami Heat has a loaded team with a serious chance to repeat as World Champions this year. Whether or not ‘The Chosen One” will win 5 more championships, however, is questionable because the Clippers, the Thunder, and the Spurs each have a decent chance to also make a run.
So While Lebron is already considered a great basketball player, the title of “Greatest Ever” still goes to Michael Jordan, for the time being. With Lebron not yet at his peak however, he very well may become the greatest player ever
