On Tuesday night, LeBron James accomplished what many considered nearly impossible by surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the all-time leading scorer in the NBA. The record had been in place for over 38 years and although several players had come close, none were able to surpass it until now.
This is a testament to LeBron’s exceptional skills, and what’s frightening is that he still has much left in him. If breaking Kareem’s record was thought to be close to impossible, surpassing LeBron’s record would be considered a truly insurmountable feat.
Inevitably, James shattering this mark brought up the GOAT discussion once more. LeBron was asked about it after the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, and he responded that he would eventually choose no one before himself.
LeBron James on the GOAT debate
“I don’t know, I think it’s great barbershop talk, it’s gonna happen forever and ever. If I was the GM or whatever the case may be of a franchise that was starting up and I had the No. 1 pick, I’d take me. But that’s just me because I believe in myself. I know what I bring to the table,” he said.
“That don’t take away from nobody else. I mean so many great players have played this game and had long legacies in this game. This NBA is a beautiful thing and it’s been some beautiful players to play it but I can’t take nobody over me,” he added.
He also discussed how he has managed to improve his game over the years. The NBA has evolved so much since he arrived in 2003, and he has remained at or near the top no matter how the game is played. You can’t fault someone for choosing Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, or Shaquille O’Neal to launch a franchise, but LeBron isn’t the wrong pick either.
King James claims he is the greatest ever
There has been much discussion about what this achievement would imply for LeBron’s legacy. We’ve heard superstars like Dirk Nowitzki say that if James shattered the record, he’d be out of arguments for Jordan to be the GOAT, and many would agree.
LeBron, on the other hand, believed he was already the greatest even before he did this. He stated that based on what he brings to the table, he is unsure if this record will propel him to the next level. As James stated during the postgame media session, this GOAT debate will go on indefinitely, and there will be no proper answer because it is all subjective.