LeBron James passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in all-time points 2 weeks back. Many now believe he’s above Michael Jordan as the GOAT.
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There’s not a single serious NBA fan who believes LeBron James has anything left to prove. Over the past 20 seasons, James has displayed every aspect of superstar play possible.
James has been an All-Defensive Team selection. He’s won the scoring title and the assists title. He’s won 4 championships as the Finals MVP. James has won 4 MVP trophies and possibly deserved more of those.
Now he’s at over 38,387 points – the mark set by Kareem when he retired from the sport. But many people still believe Michael Jordan is above him in GOAT debates.
It’s just too bad that LeBron never did a single Dunk Contest … while Michael Jordan did three and pulled off the most iconic dunk ever, taking off from the free-throw line. Never been anything like MJ, the undisputed GOAT.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) February 19, 2023
Gilbert Arenas reasons why LeBron James is now the GOAT over Michael Jordan
Gilbert Arenas spoke about the GOAT debate on a recent episode of the No Chill Podcast. The former Wizards star has officially changed his stance on the GOAT debate. He expects the media to do the same as well:
“I’m a Michael Jordan fan. But I’m not gonna do the stronghold that Michael Jordan is still the best player. I’m not going to be that dinosaurish.”
“When LeBron James came out, they said this is the next Jordan. Also, they throw an extra one – they mounted that s**t on him – the next Magic. You basically created an individual that was supposed to be a unicorn.”
“And then when he gets here, you’re gonna pretend that he’s not better than the one player here. He caught those 2 players, and then he caught somebody ahead, who was leading everybody in scoring.”
“He gets past everyone, and then you want to get to ‘Well, he played on different teams!’. Then you want to throw all this extra s**t at him. What does he have to do to say he’s the best?”
Can LeBron be the unanimous GOAT once and for all?
Most NBA fans who started following within the past 7 years or so already view LeBron as the GOAT. His longevity and continued excellence are ample reason for this take.
However, there are still some achievements that James has yet to make to reach that level. James is 2 championships shy of MJ with 4 – the same number as Shaquille O’Neal.
It is unlikely that he’ll ever get to 5 championships with how the Lakers are constructed. But if he does win another ring, the calls to anoint him will reach a crescendo difficult to match.
