For the most part, LeBron James was recognized as the best player in the NBA over the last decade or so, but that crown seems to have been finally snatched away by Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Greek Freak, for all his regular season dominance, finally put it all together last year in the postseason, as he went on a legendary playoff run to win his first NBA championship.
Giannis threatened to do it again this past season, but an injury to Khris Middleton meant they were just edged out in 7 games by the Celtics in the Conference Semifinals. Someone who had a front-row seat to Giannis’ dominance on the court was new Lakers head coach Darvin Ham, who was an assistant coach on the Bucks from 2018 to 2022. Ham is now getting to coach LeBron, and during an interview with ClutchPoints, he said there is no significant difference between the two all-time greats.
Via ClutchPoints:
“There is no difference. They’re both hungry, they’re both great, and they’re both generational type players.”
They are truly generational players, and that hunger that the two of them possess is what has driven them to reach new heights in their careers. For all his greatness, Giannis remains incredibly humble, and he recently stated that LeBron is still the best player in the world.
The King certainly isn’t slowing down on the offensive end despite his advanced age and recently signed a 2-year extension with the Lakers. Ham, during this interview, also expressed his delight at James deciding to extend his stay in Los Angeles, and if he is to succeed in LA, he’ll need LeBron to keep up this level of play for a while. Not many coaches get the opportunity to work with all-time greats, but when they do get that chance, there is also a lot of pressure that comes with it. Ham is going to start feeling that pressure soon enough if they don’t get off to a good start here.
