LeBron James is often considered the greatest basketball player ever, but not everyone agrees on where he ranks among the All-Time greats. For longtime sports analyst Skip Bayless (a notorious LeBron hater), James is 9th on his All-Time list for reasons he recently laid out:
"Before 40,000 points I had LeBron 9th on my All-Time list," said Bayless. "After 40,000 points, I still have LeBron 9th on my all-time list. Playing longer does not make you better or more valuable. LeBron James is not better than Larry Bird, he's not better than Kobe Bryant... both Bird and Bryant were better shooters and much, much better closers than LeBron James."
LeBron James reached his latest milestone this week when he became the first player ever to cross 40,000 points in their career. The feat is a show of LeBron's amazing longevity and his consistent scoring ability over 20+ seasons in the league (he has never averaged below 20 points per game).
Even now, LeBron has a chance to add to his legacy as he seeks to lead the Lakers to one more championship. But while LeBron's recent play should boost his GOAT case, there has been a growing movement to discredit his achievements and scoring records -- and Bayless is leading the charge. According to Skip, LeBron's career stats don't weigh the same as Jordan's accomplishments during his 8-year run from 1991-1998.
In the eyes of Bayless and other critics, LeBron's resume doesn't quite hold up to legends like Bill Russell, Tim Duncan, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar who all have their own GOAT case and it may already be too late for the "King" to win him over.
But if you ask James himself, he's got nothing left to prove in the NBA, and his status as the greatest of all-time was already set in stone years ago.
LeBron James Believes He Is The GOAT
No matter what the critics believe, LeBron has already made it clear about where he thinks he stands among the all-time greats. Due to statements made by him and his friends, we know that LeBron has himself at the top of the basketball pyramid and it's a sentiment shared by many fans today.
As a 4x champion, 4x MVP, 20x All-Star, and 19x All-NBA player, LeBron's accolades over the past 20 years outweigh that of entire franchises. With a career average of 25.3 points, 8.0 assists, and 7.1 rebounds per game, LeBron's well-rounded stat sheet is proof of his multi-faceted game and backs up claims that there are no weaknesses to his game.
For many people, what he's done over the past 20+ years is enough to crown him as the GOAT, and several players have already come out to support that belief. For others his latest scoring milestone was enough to convince them.
In the case of Skip Bayless, he's not ready to buy into LeBrons GOAT case and if 40,00 points isn't enough to sway the man, then it's likely that nothing will. Fortunately for LeBron, he doesn't put much stock in what Skip, or any reporter, has to say about his legacy.
As one of the most successful athletes ever, LeBron is comfortable with where he's at and he's satisfied with how his career has panned out so far.
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