The 2016 NBA Finals did it for me. I went and argued against it for years, and had to finally succumb. LeBron James is now one of the goats.
A lot of people had been pushing me to do it for awhile, but he needed that 3rd ring. Larry Bird, who was once the 4th GOAT, only won that many. I was skeptical LeBron was gonna win another one, at least in Cleveland. But it came together in the most unlikely fashion, and somehow against the GOAT team, regular season-wise at least.
LeBron moving into the goats is all about one thing: How he stacks up with Bird. They’re the two best forwards of all-time, and thats all that mattered when moving LeBron up.
LeBron’s played 13 seasons and Bird only played 13. And we still have a good amount of LeBron left. He’s already there:
- Rings: 3 vs. 3= Tie
- MVPs: 4 vs. 3= LeBron
- Finals MVPs: 3 vs. 2= LeBron
- All Stars: 12 vs. 12= Tie
- NBA First Teams: 10 vs. 9= LeBron
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has always been lower on my list than most, simply because I think there’s no way he wins six rings if he doesn’t have Magic Johnson. Kareem won two Finals MVPs, meaning he was the best player on his team only twice in the six Finals he appeared in. LeBron has been the best player in all three Finals, and in some had limited help. Kareem always had Magic, and Magic did his thing, leading to two Finals MVPs too.
LeBron against Wilt Chamberlain is a no brainer. Wilt’s insane numbers get him as high as he is, but keep in mind he only won a single ring as he was going against poor competition. Still, no matter that competition, Wilt’s numbers are insane for anyone in a basketball game.
LeBron against anyone lower than Wilt doesn’t need any explanation.
Though you have to leave the possibility open, its rare for me to see LeBron advance any further. There’s a chance my top three never changes.
No matter what though, it is true. We are witnessing greatness.
GOATS before LeBron’s induction:
- Michael Jordan
- Bill Russell
- Magic Johnson
- Larry Bird
- Wilt Chamberlain
GOATS after LeBron’s induction:
- Michael Jordan
- Bill Russell
- Magic Johnson
- LeBron James
- Larry Bird
You can also view my top 25 GOATs, which is updated to include LeBron’s induction…
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