On February 8th, 2023, LeBron James surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record with 38,388 points. This was achieved in a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. James, the 38-year-old, hardly showed his age, putting up 38 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, and three steals in a 133-130 loss. James’ breaking of this record, set in 1984, added more fuel to the fire of a debate that has been going on for years: The G.O.A.T. debate.
Few players have been great enough to garner recognition in the G.O.A.T. debate; LeBron James, Micheal Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, and Kobe Bryant. LeBron has a very impressive case for this title himself. To start, LeBron is the youngest player to reach every point total from 1,000 to 38,000. LeBron has averaged 27 points, seven assists, and seven rebounds over the 20 seasons. LeBron ranks 1st all-time in points, 32nd all-time in rebounds, 4th all-time in steals, 9th all-time in steals, 4th all-time in points per game, and 9th all-time in 3-pointers made. James also has the 10th most 40-point games with 69 and the 6th most 50-point games of all time with 14. James has four MVPs, championships, and finals MVPs. James has made one of the three all-NBA teams every year since 2005 and every All-Star game since 2005. James is one of the best passers of all time, arguably the best finisher at the rim of all time, and in my opinion, the most complete basketball player ever.
The accolades are there for James, but sometimes that is not what separates the great from the greatest. The strongest debate for James’ case is the 2016 and 2018 playoffs. In 2016, James and the Cleveland Cavaliers were facing the 73-9 Golden State Warriors, who may have been the best team in the history of the NBA. James and the Cavs found themselves down three games to one, meaning every game for the rest of the series was life or death for the Cavs, and James delivered. In the final three games, James averaged 36.3 points, 11.6 rebounds, 9.6 assists, 3 steals, and 3 blocks. With three minutes left in the pivotal game 7, the Warriors had a fast break opportunity. It looked like Warriors forward Andre Iguodala had a wide-open layup to take a 91-89 lead. Iguodala went up for the layup, and a boom echoed throughout the Oracle arena. “Blocked by James!” were the words of legendary broadcaster Mike Breen. James’ legacy-defining moment had occurred. The Cavs became the first team in NBA history to come back from down 3-1 in the NBA finals. James won his third championship and 3rd finals MVP.
James’ next legacy-defining moment came in the 2018 season. The then 33-year-old carried a roster that, without James, probably would have been one of the worst teams in the league. James finished the playoffs that season with averages of 34.0 points per game, 9.1 rebounds, 9.0 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.0 blocks on 53.9 percent shooting from the field. The Cavs beat the Indiana Pacers in six games, the one-seed Toronto Raptors in a four-game sweep, and the Boston Celtics in a back-and-forth seven-game series. The Cavs would ultimately lose to the Warriors in a four-game sweep. James had seven 40-point games, one 50-point game, four triple-doubles, and 15 double-doubles throughout the playoff run. The playoff run included a 51-point, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists performance in game one of the NBA Finals. In my opinion, that game was the best individual game I have ever witnessed in my time watching the NBA. Despite getting swept, James averaged 34 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block over the series.
These two series showed James’ ability to shoulder an insane load, to be able to win with less talent, and that James indeed has the coveted clutch ability in big moments. There will never be another player with the all-around ability James has. James can give you 50 but also can take a backseat role and dish out 10-15 assists at any given moment. There is no game plan to stop James. He is unstoppable in big games. James is simply one of the greats. With records that may never be topped and some of the most impressive playoff runs of all time, his case is certainly a strong one.