LeBron James recently took to Instagram to pay homage to Ralph Lawler, one of the greatest play-by-play commentators in NBA history. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar shared a post on his stories, uploaded by a page lbjhistory, from a game in 2010 where he scored 23 points in the first quarter against the Los Angeles Clippers. During James’ unstoppable explosion, Lawler said,
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“The best I’ve ever seen folks. Never seen anything like it. Not ever.”
James shared the clip and Lawler’s quote on his Instagram stories, and paid tribute to the Clippers’ legendary commentator, writing,
“Ralph Lawler is a GOAT! Would watch Clipper games mostly to hear him call the game. Haggle or no haggle haha.”
The ‘Haggle or No Haggle’ part refers to a long-running commentary bit, where Lawler would pose a question to his co-commentator and they either agreed or disagreed and gave their reasons for it. While James believes the Clippers commentator is one of the greatest ever, the 85-year-old holds the Lakers superstar in higher regard.
After the Lakers’ in-season tournament semifinal win over the New Orleans Pelicans, Lawler posted X, formerly called Twitter,
“I made it clear in my book BINGO! 40 YEARS IN THE NBA and I will now repeat: “LeBron James is the Great player in NBA History.” Did you see him single handedly demolish New Orleans last night? I don’t even think the race for GOAT is close. And I have seen them All.”
When one fan claimed Lawler mustn’t have seen Michael Jordan up close, he responded,
“LeBron is the Best there has ever been. He does more to help his teams win than anyone who has ever played the game. And, it is Not even Close. Add the length of his career without a fall-off in his talent level and it is not even worth discussing.”
James and Lawler’s respect for each other is mutual, and the four-time MVP likely holds a soft spot for the retired commentator due to his opinion of him.
Mike Breen in awe of LeBron James’ longevity
Ralph Lawler isn’t the only veteran commentator mystified by LeBron James’ unprecedented longevity. Mike Breen, inarguably the most recognizable voice in NBA broadcasting, said on an episode of SI Media with Jimmy Traina in 2023,
“What he’s doing, though, at this age, he’s putting up numbers that even All-Star players would give anything to put up when they’re 24… He has the longest prime in the history of the NBA and he could be the most remarkable. I don’t get into the GOAT debates. That stuff drives me crazy.”
Breen added that James’ preparation levels are unlike anything he’s ever witnessed and the sacrifices he makes to continue playing at the highest level should be commended. The legendary commentator has seen James’ entire career play out and has also been on commentary in his ten NBA Finals appearances.
Unsurprisingly, two of the best commentators in NBA history are in awe of LeBron James. Despite commentating on thousands of games and watching thousands of players come and go, both acknowledge that the Lakers superstar is one-of-a-kind. While fans and analysts continue to bicker about his greatness, two of the most important voices in NBA history have given their stamp of approval to James.
