LeBron James overtook Karl Malone on the all-time NBA scoring charts in March 2022 with a basket against the Washington Wizards during the recently completed NBA season. Malone shared his respect for LeBron after the game, and LeBron responded with respect towards Malone as well. The players have a healthy relationship with each other.
Malone is one of the few players from the previous generation that has always been full of praise for LeBron. Magic Johnson once referred to LeBron as the greatest all-around player the game of basketball has ever seen while still referring to Michael Jordan as the greatest.
When Karl Malone was asked who the most talented NBA player of all time is, he had a very simple response. He said LeBron James and explained why his athletic profile and ability make him unique and something that we will never see again in the sport.
“I think LeBron James is the most talented player that I’ve ever seen, and the reason being, sometimes you hear people make a statement, but they don’t back it up with nothing and let me explain it to you. LeBron James is about 6’8″, a little bit more 6’8″, about 265/75 pounds, and I would say to do the things he do, we will never see it again. All of those haters out there, sit back and enjoy.”
People can’t say that we won’t see someone like LeBron ever again, but it does seem almost impossible. LeBron transitioned all the athletic gifts he had into honing his skills on the court.
There isn’t one thing that someone can definitely say LeBron James is bad at, except free throw shooting, where he has always trailed below league average. Outside that, LeBron can exercise total control on a basketball court as we have never seen before. He has tremendous playmaking, scoring, and defensive attributes, truly making him a one-of-a-kind player we may never see again.
