Being regarded as one of the greatest NBA players is an honor that not many players come close to in their professional career. Players like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Oscar Robertson, and Kobe Bryant transcended the game of basketball to new heights that made younger players strive for.
Now fans are seeing Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, and Russell Westbrook, just to name a few, try and leave their mark for future generations. One player in particular will join the former list of players as being an all-time great and that is LeBron James.
There is no denying that James is one of the best players to ever step foot on the basketball court, but where exactly he stands is a question. At a recent event put on by American Express that featured Magic Johnson and Pat Riley, Johnson described James as one of the top-five greatest players ever:
Magic on LeBron: "He’s definitely one of the top five greatest players even right now. He’ll continue to move up. LeBron is special."
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) June 6, 2017
It is hard to go against Magic’s statement. James is in the midst of the seventh straight NBA Finals appearance and is looking to win his fourth championship. At 32 years of age he has already won the regular season MVP four times and NBA Finals MVP three times. He has career averages of 27.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 7.0 assists per game.
Regardless of what many have to say of James, one must appreciate what he has done for the game of basketball. He is still the best player in the game today and his career accomplishments are undeniable.
Where he ultimately winds up on the list of greatest players of all-time remains to be seen, but another championship this year could legitimately put him in the conversation for the top spot.