“LeBron James Isn’t a Top-5 player in the NBA”: Stephen Jackson Says Lakers’ MVP is in His ‘Top-3 All-time’ But Not Right Now

On the cusp of breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record, LeBron James is doing things no one imagined a 38-year-old can do on the basketball court. The 19x All-Star is putting up 40-point games consistently since his birthday last month, but it seems it’s still not enough for him to be on some people’s Top-5.

His absence from the top 10 of the MVP race might be because of the Lakers’ record, but that cannot mean five players are better than him in the NBA currently.

The man is averaging 30.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 7 assists, a steal, and 0.6 blocks per game and yet, Stephen Jackson does not have him in his Top-5.

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Stephen Jackson leaves LeBron James off his top-5

Former NBA champion with the San Antonio Spurs, Stephen Jackson, is one of the most vocal former players and is rather frequently in the news for supporting something morally right.

However, some of his basketball takes are much more questionable compared to his political stance, where he has always gone a tad bit far in critiquing 4x MVP to prove that Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan were better.

He recently did both at once while saying, LeBron James “is in my Top-3, but he is not in the top-5 best player in the league right now”.

Okay, taking KD, Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, and Jayson Tatum over LeBron can make sense despite how terrific he has been, can make sense because these 6 guys are doing somewhat better as their teams are getting the wins.

But by saying “he is in my top 3,” we know what Jack is doing there.

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Where would LeBron be all time after passing KAJ as the #1 scorer?

Obviously, this debate is never going to settle. Not today, not tomorrow, not after LeBron becomes the #1 scorer of all time. And not even if he wins a fifth championship.

Bryant fans would certainly say that James did with multiple teams, while Kobe rode the Lakers’ ship until it sank. Jordan fans would say “one less ring”.

And somehow he wins six, which has almost no chance of happening, MJ fandom will bring up the 6-0 Finals record of the Bulls. This debate is never-ending.

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About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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