When most NBA fanatics debate who the best player to ever grace the sport was, the answer was Michael Jordan for a long time, but things have begun to change drastically in recent years.
As LeBron James continues to climb up the ranks, the ‘Greatest of All-Time’ title is now almost a toss-up between James and the once untouchable Jordan. LeBron has been able to accomplish unprecedented success in recent years and the longevity of his greatness only bolsters his case. However according to James himself, that there was a specific moment when he considered himself the best player to ever live: the Cavaliers’ 2016 title.
“That one right there made me the greatest player of all time,” James said in Episode 7 of the eight-part ESPN+ series More Than An Athlete. “I was super, super ecstatic to win one for Cleveland because of the 52-year drought. … The first wave of emotion was when everyone saw me crying, like, that was all for 52 years of everything in sports that’s gone on in Cleveland. And then after I stopped, I was like — that one right there made you the greatest player of all time.”
James would go on to elaborate, stating that being able to overcome the Warriors’ greatness that year was what made it so meaningful. “Everybody was just talking — how [the Warriors] were the greatest team of all time, like it was the greatest team ever assembled, and for us to come back, you know, the way we came back in that fashion, I was like, ‘You did, you did something special.’ That’s probably one of the only times in my career I felt like, oh, s—, like you did something special. I haven’t had, really had time, to really, like, sit back and think, but that … that was a moment.”
Though some may still believe Jordan is the best player ever, there’s no doubt that LeBron James has entrenched himself firmly in the GOAT conversation as well. The NBA has never seen as dominant a force as James, a player that can quite literally do everything on the court at an elite level and improves others around him.
Now in his 16th NBA season at 34 years old, James continues to be his usual dynamite self and is becoming an even shrewder operator on offense. While Jordan is the one with more accolades including championships, James’ complete body of work is second to none, and he will only continue building on it from here on out.
