LeBron James will turn 38 years old later this year. He is still playing at an elite level, but it is evident to everyone that it is only a matter of a few years before LeBron announces his retirement from the league.
Even if he retired at this moment, for several fans, he is the greatest basketball player of all time. LeBron himself believes that he became the GOAT after winning the 2016 NBA Championship, as he revealed in an interview.
However, today our focus is not on whether LeBron is the GOAT or not. Instead, today we will be focusing on an old interview where James was asked to name which three players he thought were the best in NBA history.
“Best three players of all time? Michael Jordan… Wow, Michael Jordan… Wow, this is tough Michael Jordan, Dr. J (Julius Erving), Larry Bird. You give me three, of my god. Three? Yeah, Larry Bird, Dr. J, and Michael Jordan. Can I get four? Magic.
While all of LeBron’s picks are excellent players, NBA fans still found a way to troll him for the interview. It wasn’t about the players that he picked, but the fact that he took the name of Michael Jordan three times.
Mervina1254: Michael Jordan… Michael Jordan… Michael Jordan… he said Michael Jordan three times.
Vyper: New found respect for LBJ for putting Larry Legend in his top 3 of all time. Props!
Miguel: the fact that LeBron is having a tough time picking his top 3 players of all time while keeping MJ solid in the #1 spot really shows how good and impactful MJ is to other players especially to Bron.
La Quica: 1) Michael Jordan 2) Michael Jordan 3) Wow this is tough.
Tony Vega: I love how people usually say MJ immediately. It’s such an easy top 1. The others are always the problem. It’s like Magic said, “There’s Michael Jordan and then there’s the rest of us.”
Jay 2Z: Finally some respect on Larry’s name. And Julius Erving’s as well, he’s a forgotten great.
alexlanza7&9: It’s amazing how he had to say 3 times the name Michael Jordan before he could say the other 2 names! This tells a lot! Tells that one of the best players of the last 10 years (if not the best!) doesn’t have any doubt about one name, Michael Jordan, but he has to think hard about the other 2 names! Amazing! I’d pick Mj, Magic and Bird, but still good picks LeBron, good picks.
Grumpy: By the end of LeBron’s career, the top three players of all time will be: Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Kobe Bryant.
Benjamin: I like how he ranks Larry Bird ahead of Magic. Magic was amazing, but the only thing he did better than Bird was lead the fast break. Bird was better in every other area when you watch games from that era. Bird passed just as well as Magic did in the half court, while being a better shooter, defender, and rebounder. Magic might have more championships, but Bird was the better individual player in my opinion.
Michael Edwards: Larry Bird won 3 straight MVPs while Michael Jordan, Showtime Lakers and Bad Boy Pistons were in the league… 6-0 vs Jordan in playoffs… LEGEND.
kmusic: Shows me just how great Lebron is in terms of understanding the game of basketball when he put Larry Bird in the top three …many people seem to forget just how great Bird was….Lebron’s mental IQ for the game is unrivaled….Don’t even know how he got to that level without a real mentor.
Ohio Till I Die: Love how Jordan was instantly there like easily top spot.
While a few fans joked about how James hesitated in naming the other two players after saying the name of MJ, others praised him for being honest and including Larry Bird and Julius Erving on his list.
Additionally, James also took Magic Johnson’s name as the fourth best player of all time after the first three. Since the interview took place in 2013, James was still far from being considered in the GOAT talks. But that’s not the case anymore, and many people recognize James’ talent and achievements now.
