LeBron James won the MVP at the Paris Olympics, adding another award to his endless list of accolades. The Lakers superstar is only months away from his 40th birthday but has yet to show any sign of a decline. Given his longevity, stats, and impressive trophy haul, Isiah Thomas feels no other player in NBA history is comparable to the four-time NBA champion.
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In an interview with MichiganLive, the Hall of Famer said that James, in his estimation, is inarguably the best basketball player. Lauding the forward’s impeccable career, Thomas said,
“I think when you look at, like I say, he’s touched and he leads in almost every statistical category. He’s passed Kareem in scoring. I think he’s got the most playoff points…I think he’s passed me; I think he’s passed Magic on the assist record. There’s never been another player like him… So to me, he’s the best that I’ve ever seen from a team standpoint and also as a basketball player.”
Isiah Thomas hopeful of Pistons rebuild, discusses LeBron and all-time point guards https://t.co/8a6PTRRGTQ
— Isiah Thomas (@IsiahThomas) August 15, 2024
Last season, James, who was already the all-time leading scorer in NBA history, became the first player to breach the 40,000-point mark. He also holds the record for most playoff points with 8,162. He passed Michael Jordan as the leader in that category in 2017 and is the only player with over 6,000 playoff points.
In addition to being a dominant scorer, he’s also one of the greatest facilitators in league history. He ranks fourth all-time on the assist charts with 11,009 and is the only player in the top 10 in this category who did not spend their entire career playing as their team’s point guard.
James is also closing on usurping Patrick Ewing from the 25th spot on the all-time rebounds list. It’s a list that exclusively features centers and forwards who played as rim protectors. For a dynamic player like the Lakers superstar to be among the 25 most-prolific rebounders would be an incredible achievement.
Despite his laundry list of achievements, many argue that his 4-6 record in the NBA Finals means he’ll never surpass Jordan as the greatest ever, who was 6-0 in the championship series. However, Thomas believes it’s a moot point as the Bulls icon repeatedly lost to his biggest rivals in the Eastern Conference in the 1980s.
Jordan did not dethrone the greats before him, says Isiah
During an appearance on First Take, the Pistons icon and host Stephen A. Smith debated whether James is the greatest player in NBA history. The analyst brought up the forward’s Finals record and the Hall of Famer reminded him that Jordan couldn’t beat the best teams in the 1980s. He said,
“If memory serves me correct, (the Bulls) got swept [by the Celtics in 1986 playoffs]… So Michael Jordan in the 1980s, he never won. He never beat Larry Bird, he never beat Magic and Kareem… Michael Jordan never beat those teams.”
Thomas also reminded Smith that the Pistons eliminated the Bulls from the playoffs in three consecutive seasons from 1988 to 1990. He claimed that Jordan falling short against Eastern Conference powerhouses is never held against him.
However, James losing in the Finals is considered a deterrent in his case to be the GOAT. As valid as his point is, those in the Bulls icon’s camp will never budge from their stance.
