By now you all probably know that the Golden State Warriors beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals.
In a press conference following the Cavaliers’ game 5 loss to the Warriors, Cavs forward LeBron James stated that he was not worried.
“I’m confident because I’m the best player in the world, it’s that simple,” said James.
This is not an opinion I share with Mr. James.
One of my favorite definitions of the word greatness is superior in quality and character. One of the signs of good character is humbleness, something I think we can all agree James does not possess.
Putting aside his very large ego, yes it is true, James is a talented basketball player. However, I have heard people refer to James as “the best to ever play the game.” This is where I have to disagree with most of America.
Michael Jordan, in my opinion, can easily claim the title of greatest basketball player of all time.
Jordan played in the NBA for a total of 15 seasons, compared to James who just finished his 12th.
Jordan won a total of six championships during his time in the NBA, and up to this point James has won two. If James were to win three championships over the next three seasons, which would put him in the league as long as Jordan, he would still be one behind.
Jordan was the 10-time NBA scoring leader from 1987-1993 and 1996-1998.
He was also ranked number one by ESPN SportCentury’s Top North American Athletes of the 20th century.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is easily another name that can be ranked among basketball royalty.
Abdul-Jabbar played in the NBA for 20 seasons, the first player in NBA history to accomplish such a milestone. In that time, he made 18 playoff trips, and walked away with six rings. That means there were only two seasons in Abdul-Jabbar’s entire career where he did not take his team to the playoffs. In 2009, Abdul-Jabbar was ranked number seven in SLAM Magazine’s top 50 NBA players of all time.
I do not think it is possible to point to just one player and say they are the best to ever play the game. A lot of factors go into being the best, and I think James could learn a lot, about basketball and life, by looking at the greats that have gone before him.