When LeBron James debuted at just 18 years old for the Cleveland Cavaliers, the assistant coach asked him if he had thought about how he wanted to be known for posterity, and, without hesitation, he responded as “the king.” “I’m sorry, but you’re too young for that,” Bob Dunwald, a key figure in his training, told him. “Well, then call me Elvis.”
One step away from 40 tacos and after 21 seasons in the NBA, to which he went directly from high school without stopping in college basketball, with more than 40,000 points in his checking account, James is “the king” of his generation , and perhaps of all generations. Just as there are those who consider Messi better than Pelé and Maradona, an increasing number of critics and fans place LeBron ahead of Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar… and even his Excellency Michael Jordan.
It’s like comparing Picasso to Velázquez. But the argument in favor of the Lakers’ current number 23, the same one that Jordan wore with the Bulls, is, apart from class, an extraordinary longevity that has allowed him to amass unthinkable records, while Jordan retired twice (after the murder of his father and after conquering the sixth ring) and had a more eventful career.
That of LeBron, who came to the league as a teenager and has been the face of the NBA for three decades, is divided by commentators into four phases: that of the “prodigy boy” (from 2003 to 2010) who from the first moment responded to all expectations with the team from his region, the Cavaliers (Cleveland is three-quarters of an hour by car from Akron); that of “the superstar”, after controversially announcing his transfer to Miami and leading the Heat to four consecutive finals and two victories; that of the “leader” (2014-2018), with the return to the team of his origins, which he led to its only title for now (and there would have been more if he had not run into the Warriors); and that of the “creator” (from 2018 to the present), with a new ring with the Lakers, the surpassing of Kareem’s points record and now 40,000.
Although James has begun to talk about his retirement (he would like to play with his son Bronny first) and has to measure his strength more, everything indicates that he will continue for another year, and perhaps more, it is not unreasonable to think that he will hang up his shoes with a haul of 44,000 or 45,000 points, very difficult to overcome not only by any of the current players (Kevin Durant, Luka Doncic…), but ever, unless the NBA takes the four-point shot out of its sleeve. Who will be able to compete at his level of excellence, intensity and productivity for 22 or 23 seasons?
Strength, speed, physical power, coordination, ferocity, positional sense… LeBron’s attributes are many to be considered the GOAT, the best of all time. And with four rings compared to Jordan’s six, he does not rule out adding some more, although the current Lakers – built around him and Anthony Davis, and dependent on them not getting injured in decisive moments – have important gaps. Their current record of 33 wins and 29 losses is nothing to write home about, and only serves them for tenth place in the Western conference.
“Let the most important thing always be the most important thing,” is the motto of James, billionaire, businessman, happily married and father of three children, complainer with referees, committed to social justice and racial equality, skeptical of vaccines, Democrat, Trump critic… No one is perfect, but some come pretty close to perfection. Like Velázquez and Picasso.
