When LeBron James was a senior in high school, I saw him play a top 5 ranked team in Trenton, New Jersey. LeBron scored 50 points and never took a bad shot. After the game a few college coaches and I went out to dinner. I remember saying, “That was the greatest basketball performance I have ever seen.” The other coaches laughed at me and said I was crazy. LeBron scored 50 against a team that had 7 players who went on to play Division I basketball.
There is an old saying, The more things change, the more they stay the same. In Game 1 of the 2018, NBA Finals, LeBron almost repeated history from his senior year. The man they call, “The King” scored 51 points had 8 rebounds and 8 assists. He did this against three hall of fame players, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, and the 2017 NBA Defensive Player of the Year in Draymond Green. I will repeat the words I said to my colleagues 16 years ago.
“That was the greatest basketball performance I have ever seen.”
The Cavaliers lost 4-0 to the Golden State Warriors. It was the 3rd time in four years that LeBron’s team finished as the runner-up.
James has been to 8 straight finals, (9 in total) with 4 different coaches.
The first thing the “haters” always say is…
The Akron star can’t be considered one of the greatest basketball players of all-time because he now has a record of 3-6 in championship series.
This argument never held any water with me because if your only argument is counting how many rings a person has, Robert Horry would be considered better than Michael Jordan. Horry won 7 championships Jordan won six.
Stever Kerr won 5 championships as a player… Does that mean he is the same level as Kobe Bryant? of course not. The NBA Logo, Jerry West has a 1-8 record in the Finals.
The 2nd thing the haters say…
LeBron is not a true scorer
This is a very silly argument. James is 4th all time in the history of the NBA in points per game and for his career, he shoots at a higher percentage than Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony.
1) Michael Jordan…30.12 PPG.
2) Wilt Chamberlain…30.07 PPG.
3) Elgin Baylor…27.36 PPG.
4) LeBron James…27.15 PPG.
This year in the playoffs, LeBron averaged 34 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists per game.
For his career James is averaging:
28.9 points, 8.9 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game in the post-season.
Kobe Bryant’s playoff averages:
25.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game.
Michael Jordan playoff averages:
33.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game.
In playoff rankings, James is 1st all-time in points, FG’s made, FT’s made, steals and minutes. He is 2nd in 3-Pt FG’s made and 3rd all-time in assists.
Off the court… (Parts taken from Wikipedia):
James is an active supporter of
non-profit organizations, including
After-School All-Stars,
Boys & Girls Clubs of America,
Children’s Defense Fund, and
ONEXONE. He also has his own charity foundation, the LeBron James Family Foundation, which is based in Akron.Since 2005, the foundation has held an annual bike-a-thon to raise money for various causes.In 2015, James announced a partnership with the University of Akron to provide scholarships for as many as 2,300 children beginning in 2021
] In 2016, he donated $2.5 million to the
Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture to support an exhibit on
Muhammad Ali In 2017, he received the
J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award from the NBA for his “outstanding service and dedication to the community”.
James was raised by a single mom, he married his high school sweetheart and he is doing things with his life that most can only dream of. He has never been in trouble on or off the court and he continues to give back to the community.
In an era where we are constantly looking for role models, there is no need to look any further. Akron’s greatest son will continue to give back and thrive as a player, a husband, a father and an activist.
LeBron will always be compared to Jordan when it comes to being the greatest of all-time. When someone asks me who is better? I simply say, “They are both top 5 players and that is good enough for me.”
An ABC reporter asked James, “What do you’ve to say to all of your critics?”, His response…“I’m just a kid from Akron, Ohio…I’m not even suppose to be here…I feel blessed!”
The future Hall of Fame player, is the very definition of the American Dream
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