"He's Michael, he's Magic, he's Kobe, he's Jerry West, he's Bill Russell" - Pat Riley praises LeBron James for the unique nature of his game

LeBron James’ basketball brilliance through the course of 19 years is arguably unmatched in NBA history. The records he has compiled in close to two decades of hoop excellence are simply mind-blowing. Recently, he became the only player to reach 30,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 9,000 assists.

Pat Riley, who engineered LeBron James’ move to the Miami Heat in 2011, sang the four-time MVP’s praises in an episode of the NBA’s ‘75 stories. The legendary coach of the Showtime Lakers gave “King James” the ultimate compliment.

Here’s Riley describing LeBron James as a basketball genius:

“LeBron is a class of his own. He is absolutely unique. He is Michael, he is Magic, he is Kobe, he’s Jerry West, he’s Bill Russell. You take all of the great, great players, and put them in a blender and mix them up, LeBron’s got something from all of them in him.”

Coming from one of the most charismatic and winningest coaches in NBA history, that has to be one of the biggest tributes LeBron James has received. The names Riley mentioned are perpetually thrown around in conversations about the greatest of all time. To have traits from those legendary players is almost unreal.

Riley is a well-chronicled LeBron James admirer. The two initially had a less than ideal parting after the “Chosen One” left the Miami Heat to go back to the Cleveland Cavaliers. They have apparently buried ill feelings since, with Riley getting fined $25K by the NBA for violating the league’s anti-tampering rules following his comments about James.

Last year while appearing on The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz, Riley was very candid with his remarks, saying:

"LeBron, look, he's one of the greatest of all time, and for four years down here, if we want to go back and remember what those four years were like, it was four years in the Finals, four years of excitement, two world championships. … It was the best time for the Heat."

He added:

"So I wish him nothing but the best, and if he ever wanted to come back, I'll put a new shiny key under the mat."

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LeBron James and the LA Lakers welcome back Anthony Davis with a win over the Brooklyn Nets

The LA Lakers Big 3 have reunited with Anthony Davis' return after a knee injury. [Photo: NBA.com Canada]

After missing the last 17 games with a knee injury, Anthony Davis finally made his long-awaited return to help the LA Lakers grab a 106-96 win against the Brooklyn Nets.

Davis played only 25 minutes and finished with eight points, two rebounds and two assists. It was his defense, however, that showcased just what the Lakers had been missing.

AD tallied four blocks and a steal, but showed even more impact with the shots he changed in the interior. Having the perennial DPOY candidate also allowed James to play like a football safety on several occasions.

As a roving defender, the 17x All-Star opened new layers to the Lakers' defense. It allowed him to snag two consecutive steals, leading to two highlight-reel dunks that energized the team.

The LA Lakers have been demolished on defense while playing LeBron James at the 5. Getting Davis back could help turn around their season, particularly on defense.