LeBron James is one of the greatest players to ever live. For most people, he even took the ‘best small forward ever’ distinction away from guys like Scottie Pippen, Elgin Baylor, or Larry Bird. Honestly, it’s hard to think of a guy that could also surpass LeBron in that regard.
Still, there are plenty of people who don’t think LeBron James is the best player on earth anymore. Names like Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo are often mentioned in that conversation.
However, the guy that could most likely take down the King right now is no other than Kawhi Leonard, the best two-way player in the game, a proven winner, and the guy that happens to be the best at defending LeBron as well.
Leonard and James have plenty of similarities. In fact, one of them could pull off an unprecedented feature next season if they were to become NBA Champions. Either one of them could end up becoming the first player in NBA history to win a ring and a Finals MVP with three different franchises.
LeBron has already won 3 NBA Finals MVP and Championships, two with the Miami Heat (2012, 2013) and one with the Cleveland Cavaliers (2016). He’s drawn a lot of criticism for his subpar record in the Finals, so leading the Lakers to a Championship would savage his legacy at the sight of his haters.
Kawhi, on the other hand, is 2-1 in the NBA Finals. He won his first ring and Finals MVP as an unexpected contributor with the San Antonio Spurs (2014), partly thanks to his great defense on Bron. Five years later (2019), he led the Raptors to their first-ever trip to the Finals and won his second Finals MVP.
If Leonard were to repeat that milestone, he would also lead the Clippers to their first NBA Finals ever, and that’s the kind of legendary stuff that could even slip his name in the GOAT conversation once it’s all said and done.
Winning an NBA Championship is almost an impossible task. Doing it with multiple teams is even harder. But also being the alpha dog in town and the main reason why those teams actually win is the ultimate proof of greatness. Hopefully, one of them will pull it off this season.
