Isiah Thomas vehemently disagreed with Lou Williams’ recently claiming that LeBron James would win 15 consecutive NBA titles if he played in 1975.
“I find it comical and laughable how some not all people think this is the first generation of basketball players that athletically could run and jump. I’m not sure he would be the best athlete in 1975 all things being equal.”
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This brought out former Bulls point guard Ron Harper in support of Thomas’ points.
“They never played or understand real basketball and players his size that have played.”
After fans brought up LeBron’s superior athleticism to players of that era, Thomas cited Julius Erving and Darryl Dawkins as examples of otherworldly athleticism at the time. He also referred to Dr. J as the best athlete in basketball in 1975 and credited Dawkins with the creation of the breakaway rim.
“1975 Dr. J athletically was breathtakingly beautiful in the air.”
“Dr. J played with a 6”11″ 270 center named Darryl Dawkins he is the reason why we have breakaway rims in the NBA. He had a 40-inch vertical and ran a 4.5 flat… Darryl Dawkins is the reason we have breakaway rims today. Let it be known.”
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Thomas would also share pictures of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain in the air with their heads above the rim to showcase the extent of their athletic abilities.
https://twitter.com/IsiahThomas/status/1816568896171684147
Thomas also brought up how coming generations will always seem more skilled because they’re building off what the generations before them did.
“Teaching point, evolution has shown whoever did it first made it easier for the second person to imagine and evolve.”
Finally, Thomas made two major statements. He dismissed the point of athleticism inherently leading to high-level success given the success of Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic as unathletic players right now.
https://twitter.com/IsiahThomas/status/1816486663683473586
His second statement was more emphatic, saying that five of the 10 best players of all time come from Thomas’ generation.
“You do realize at least 5 of top 10 players to ever play the game are from my era. Let it be known, those are the facts.”
Basketball, like many sports, has been strengthened through decades of the game’s development through new strategies and styles of play. While it’s fair to say James possesses a skill set that wouldn’t have been common in players with a similar archetype at that time, would LeBron have the freedom to develop his game without borrowing on the ones who came before?
Generational wars in basketball are often pointless because of the different variables. It’s fair to say James would’ve been just as dominant and possibly could have won more than four titles, but 15 consecutive titles is hyperbole that Thomas might have taken too literally.
James has averaged 27.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 7.4 assists over his career in the modern era. He’s played the bulk of his career through a new offensive age with rules that encourage high-scoring games along with an explosion of three-point shooting. Thomas averaged 19.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 9.3 assists over his career, primarily playing in arguably the most defense-oriented era in basketball.
Players like Erving and Dawkins predate Thomas’ generation, but even players from that era like Michael Jordan have credited Erving for shaping their games. Given Jordan would also go on to inspire LeBron, alongside the likes of Magic Johnson who was drafted in 1979, it’s clear that no titan of basketball can stand without being on the shoulders of the legends who came before. Similarly, players like Luka Doncic now wouldn’t be where they are if LeBron hadn’t existed over the last two decades.
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