LeBron James finally opened up on the never-ending GOAT debate. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar is mentioned in these conversations every year. That doesn’t seem to be stopping soon.
As he breaks more records and collects more accolades, his fans have a stronger case for the King as the greatest of all time. This has been common in the past couple of years, but James says it is exhausting. Every single day fans find a new argument to defend LBJ or Michael Jordan, starting the never-ending cycle again.
Talking with Lakers reporter Mike Trudell, James addressed the GOAT debate, saying it can be exhausting. Still, he feels happy whenever people mention him alongside the people he looked up to when he was a child.
On if the constant ‘G.O.A.T.’ debate gets exhausting:
LeBron: It can be exhausting, you said it, but I’ve always looked at it like any time you’re compared or you’re even mentioned with the greats to ever play this game, it’s become humbling for me, because the same people they put me in the category with … are the same guys that I looked up to for inspiration when I was growing up. And I needed that inspiration growing up in the inner city here in Akron, Ohio. So to have the Michael Jordans’, the Kobe Bryants’, the Ken Griffey Jrs’, the Deion Sanders’, all those unbelievable sports figures when I needed it, they helped me. So it’s like, ‘Wow, you guys are comparing me to these greatest players that I’ve ever seen when I was growing up. It’s humbling, man.
James has come a long way, going from being a highly hyped prospect to one of the best to ever do it. Bron also revealed he knew he would make it to the league when he was 16.
On when he first realized he had a realistic chance of making it as a basketball player:
LeBron: The beginning of my junior year, I was 16 years old, and I was on the cover of ‘Sports Illustrated,’ and they dubbed me “The Chosen One” at 16. So a lot of NBA execs were talking and saying that if I entered the (NBA) Draft right now, I could be the No. 1 pick. So I felt like I seen the success I was having, and the reason I knew I wanted to come back and give back to my community was because I knew the success that I was having, yes, it had to do with my abilities and my talent and me putting in the work, but the support that I had from my coaches and my friends and my mom. They stayed on my ass every day like, ‘Listen, this is what we’re doing. We have an opportunity to make this bigger than even what other people are saying. So let’s now (mess) it up.’
18 years later, he’s an all-time great, one of the two best players to set foot on an NBA court. He’s 36 and still going. James is ready to get revenge this next season, take the Lakers to the Finals again and win his 5th championship.
Many people believe he’ll surpass MJ with his 5th ring, but that’s something we’ll discover in the next couple of seasons.
