There is a lot to like about LeBron James, both on and off the court, but if there’s one thing we can’t say about the man, it’s that he’s humble. James knows how great he is and isn’t shy about letting the world know about it. The best example of that is how open he has been about where he believes he ranks among the all-time greats.
James recently declared himself the GOAT during an interview with Time Magazine. In light of that, we decided to look at all the instances in which he came out and said it out loud.
2018
The very first time we saw James call himself the GOAT was in 2018 on Uninterrupted’s More Than An Athlete documentary series. He revealed he believed he had become the greatest ever after leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to a historic comeback from down 3-1 against the 73-9 Golden State Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals.
“That one right there made me the greatest player of all time,” James said. “That’s what I felt. I was super, super ecstatic to win one for Cleveland because of the 52-year drought… The first wave of emotion was when everyone saw me crying, that was all for 52 years of everything in sports that’s gone on in Cleveland. And then after I stopped, I was like… that one right there made you the greatest player of all time.”
As James pointed out, those Warriors were being talked about as the greatest team of all time. They had set a new record for wins in the regular season with 73 and seemed set to win it all when they went up 3-1 on the Cavaliers.
James would power the stunning comeback by averaging 36.3 points over the last three games. He’d end up leading both teams in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks in the series and was named Finals MVP.
2022
Fast forward to 2022, and James brought up the 2016 Finals again when Kenny Smith asked him before the 2022 All-Star Game what makes a player the greatest of all time.
“At that moment I was like, I’m the greatest basketball player people have ever seen,” James said, via Men’s Health. “In all the facets. Like, I could play them 1 through 5, I can guard 1 through 5, you know, just literally like doing something that’s never been done in the history of the sport. I mean, teams that go down 3-1 were zero for like 0-32 in finals history. There’s nobody coming out of that. And nobody gave us a chance. I just felt like, ain’t nobody better than me at this. I felt like Jay-Z when he made The Blueprint.”
That was a special accomplishment, and it’s not surprising that James went back to it.
2023
A year later, we’d get a few declarations from James. Just before he surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer in February 2023, he called himself the best ever.
“What I bring to the table as a basketball player … I feel like I’m the best basketball player that ever played the game,” James said. “That’s just my confidence, that’s just what I bring to the table, what I possess. But as far as if the scoring record gets me to another level, I don’t know.”
James then passed Abdul-Jabbar on Feb. 7 during a game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Oklahoma City Thunder. After the game, Shaquille O’Neal asked him if he is the greatest ever now.
“I’m gonna let everybody else decide who that is, or talk about it, but it’s great barbershop talk,” James said. “Me personally, I’m going to take myself against anybody who has ever played this game. But everyone is going to have their favorite, and everyone is going to decide who their favorite is, but I know what I’ve brought to the table, I know what I bring to the table every single night, and what I can do out on this floor. I always feel like I’m the best to ever play this game, but there’s so many other great ones that I’m happy to just be a part of their journey.”
James was asked about where he puts himself in the GOAT conversation in his press conference after the game, too.
“For me, I think it’s great barbershop talk,” James said, via the Lakers. “It’s going to happen forever and ever. If I was the GM, or whatever the case may be, of a franchise that was starting up, and I had the No. 1 pick, I would take me. But that’s just me, because I believe in myself. I know what I bring to the table.
“A guy that’s been able to transform his game over the course of 20 years to be able to play any position in this league, and excel at any position,” James stated. “I can play one through five. I’ve led the league in assists. I’ve been able to do whatever this game has wanted me to do. And also just transform my game as well.
“When I first got into the league, it was very slow,” James continued. “I remember I’d play all game with Detroit, we was in the 70s… To now, teams score 150, and you have to be able to keep up. And more threes, and things of that nature. So just being able to stay with the curve, changing my game if I needed to, or just improve my game. But that don’t take away from nobody else.
“It’s so many great players has played this game, and has long legacies in this game,” James added. “This NBA is a beautiful thing, and there’s been some beautiful players to play it. But I can’t take nobody over me.”
Those were some fair comments. James acknowledged that some incredible players have played in the NBA over the years, but he won’t put anyone ahead of him.
2024
While all of those were in formal settings, the one in 2024 was in an informal one. James was playing basketball in his backyard with his sons and reminded Bryce James that he is the GOAT after he jokingly called his father trash.
“This is what I do,” James said. “… I’m GOAT bro, G.O.A.T. What’re you talking about, stop playing with me, man.”
Bryce calling LeBron “trash”
LeBron: “Why you acting like that? like this ain’t what I do🤣This is what I do, I’m GOAT bro, G. O. A. T. what’re you talk bout stop playing wit me man” pic.twitter.com/Hqq7gMEnQp
— 𝘓𝘦𝘉𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘴⁶ (@LeGonechitis) April 19, 2024
Now this is what a healthy father-son relationship looks like. James, of course, grew up in a single-parent household, and it’s been great to see how wonderfully he has raised his children.
2026
We now finally get to the present, and here is what James had to say in that interview with Time Magazine.
“I’m not taking anybody over me,” said James, via TIME. “There’s no question. But I think Mike will say the same thing. Rest his soul, Kobe will say the same thing. Magic will say the same thing. Bird will say the same thing. Shaq could say the same thing. The late great Wilt. Kareem. I don’t think any of us are going to take somebody else. If there’s a general manager and he’s eyeballing all of us on a baseline, with the No. 1 pick, it’s gonna be hard not to take me, champ.”
James is backing himself, as most all-time greats would. He is wrong about Michael Jordan, though.
Jordan has said there is no such thing as the GOAT in basketball. He is still the most popular pick in the GOAT debate, but claims not to care about it.
