Former NBA player Lou Williams recently sat down for an interview with Wayno, where he stated that Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is his GOAT. James has put together an impressive resume over the years, but that alone isn’t why Williams picks him over the likes of Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.
“This is why Bron is the GOAT in my opinion,” Williams said. “Being in the league, being a high school kid, and knowing the expectations that I had on me and looking at him and getting out of that s*** and still being relevant 25 years later? Insane. Like MJ was a really good player coming out of high school, went to North Carolina, grinded like hell to become who he became: the greatest basketball player of all time.
“I can still say that and still say Bron is my GOAT,” Williams added. “Like MJ was that guy. Look at Kobe [Bryant]. Really good player coming out of high school. McDonald’s All-American doing all that s***. But he had to work his a** off to be in that conversation as the greatest basketball player of all time. We had that expectation on Bron since he was 14.”
The expectations on James when he was at St. Vincent–St. Mary High School were unlike anything we had ever seen. He was dubbed the “Chosen One” by Sports Illustrated in 2002, which lets you know how crazy the hype surrounding him was.
Those expectations went up just that little bit higher when James’ hometown Cleveland Cavaliers selected him with the first pick of the 2003 NBA Draft straight out of high school. The Cavaliers had been a mess in the years leading up to his arrival, and he was viewed as the savior who would take them to the Promised Land.
Of course, all of this also led to James having a target on his back. There were plenty who wanted to see him fail, and he realized that as well. James revealed he felt everyone besides his family and friends wanted him to fail on his NBA debut. While everyone certainly did not, you can understand why an 18-year-old might have felt that way.
James shone on his debut, recording 25 points (12-20 FG), six rebounds, nine assists, and four steals against the Sacramento Kings. He could have very easily folded in that moment, but didn’t.
James would go from strength to strength in the years that followed, and you could argue he has now exceeded those sky-high expectations that were placed on him. The 40-year-old has won four titles, four Finals MVPs, four MVPs, one scoring title, and one assists title. He has also made 21 All-Star, 21 All-NBA, and six All-Defensive teams.
To go with all that, James is also the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. His longevity is ridiculous, but that has also led to people still expecting big things from him in his 23rd season in the league.
“When you see Bron at 41, and there’s still a expectation level for him of greatness,” Williams stated. “We are still in this world of, ‘He got to get a championship. They got to make the playoffs.’ We didn’t have that on MJ when he was with the Wizards. We just enjoyed seeing him hooping.”
All that said, Williams, a three-time Sixth Man of the Year winner, does think Jordan was the greater player. The Chicago Bulls icon won six titles, six Finals MVPs, five MVPs, one DPOY, and 10 scoring titles in his storied career. Jordan is generally recognized as the GOAT, but James’ story makes him Williams’ personal pick for the title.
