In a segment on ESPN’s ‘Get Up’ morning show, longtime NBA analyst Tim Legler explained why LeBron James has already reached the maximum potential of his NBA career. According to Legs, nothing LeBron does moving forward will move him any higher than second on the All-Time list, meaning that a place below Jordan is already a lock.
“He is cemented at two. As far as any list you can create, he’s cemented at two,” said Legler. “There’s no movement there, he’s not getting caught from behind anytime soon, and there’s nothing he can do to make up the ground with Jordan.”
“He is cemented at two … there’s nothing he can do to make up the ground with Jordan.”@LegsESPN weighs in on the LeBron-MJ debate 👀 pic.twitter.com/55JkXF1Syt
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) April 19, 2024
Michael Jordan is arguably the mascot for greatness in the NBA and his run with the Chicago Bulls will forever be recognized as one of the most impressive stretches by any athlete in sports history. As a 6x champion, 5x MVP, 10x scoring champion, and 14x All-Star, Michael sits atop the all-time basketball hierarchy for a reason and his place there was unquestioned until LeBron James began to win his own championships.
As a 4x champion, 4x MVP, 20x All-Star, and 19x All-NBA player, LeBron James has nothing left to accomplish in the league and his resume alone outweighs the achievements of some entire franchises. After 20 years of greatness, James has been open about his feelings on the GOAT conversation. In his mind, the debate was over when he beat the 73-9 Warriors back in 2016.
Obviously, there are still a lot of people that LeBron has to win over but a championship run this season, with this Lakers team, may just be enough to convince the remaining skeptics.
“If [the Lakers] take out Denver, the adrenaline and confidence that that group is gonna have, they’re gonna think they can win the whole thing,” continued Legler. “Think about what that run would mean. That’s about the only thing that LeBron can do at this point.”
What LeBron James is doing at almost 40 years old is amazing on its own, but when you consider his track record of excellence over the past 20 years, it really puts him on another level of stardom. At the very least, LeBron James is closer than any player has been to surpassing Michael Jordan and what happens over these next few months could make or break his GOAT campaign for good.
The Los Angeles Lakers Can Pull Off Impossible Playoff Run
The Los Angeles Lakers are a better team than last season, but the depth of the Western Conference didn’t allow them to finish above 7th in the West. Fortunately, after a blowout win over the Pelicans, the Lakers are already out of the play-in… and looking ahead to a first-round series against the Nuggets.
Against the 2x MVP and the defending champions, most fans and experts are giving the Lakers no chance at all to win the series. The Lakers went 0-4 against Denver in the West Finals and 0-3 against them in the 2023-24 regular season. To somehow defeat them in a best-of-seven now would be a shocking conclusion for both teams and it would surely empower the Lakers with a renewed sense of confidence and determination to finish the job and take home the Larry O’Brien trophy.
Unfortunately, getting past the Nuggets is just one step en route to winning the title and it will take near-perfect planning and execution to pull it off for four rounds in a row. But if the Lakers are able to make it happen, and LeBron is a huge part of the reason why, it could force some tough conversations in the NBA community, and Michael’s standing as the “undisputed” GOAT would be challenged like we’ve never seen before.
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