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LeBron James was asked to rank his all-time starting five for the LA Lakers and excluded Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Some consider Abdul-Jabbar to be among the three best players of all time. However, the list is difficult to contest.
“All-time starting five for the Lakers?” James said. “I’m going Magic at 1, Jerry West at the 2, Kobe at the 3, myself at the 4 and Shaq at the 5.”
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has more titles than anyone on that list and has won the MVP honor six times. He spent his first six seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks and played 14 seasons for the LA Lakers. Abdul-Jabbar has recorded impressive numbers and holds the all-time scoring record.
However, suggesting no disrespect, LeBron James argued that Shaquille O’Neal would be a preference because of his dominance in the paint.
“I mean Shaq is so dominant, man,” James said. “I mean, I love Kareem, too. I can’t even front on that, but Shaq’s so dominant. We need a big cause I’m playing the 4, so we need a big.”
James then took it a step further by removing himself from the starting five:
“A.D. already put himself in the Top 5? Well put A.D. in, take me out,” James said.
Although Anthony Davis’ arrival brought the 2020 NBA title to LA, he’s not had much of an impact since then. Davis is still a dominant force on the floor but has more to prove before being compared to the Laker legends. The upcoming season will be crucial to Davis’ legacy. He’s played only 76 games over the last two seasons.
LeBron James is poised to have a record-breaking season
LeBron James will be entering his 20th season in the league. His primary goal is to win another title. However, by being at the top of his game all these years, James is in line to reach multiple milestones.
LeBron is 1,325 points away from surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387 points) on the all-time scoring list. James has averaged 1,655 points over the last five seasons. He'll likely break the record this season.
James is seventh all time in assists and could jump into the top five. He’s averaged 516 assists over the last five seasons. If he hits that number this year, he could climb to fourth, behind Chris Paul.
In terms of games played, LeBron has tallied 1,366 games in his career. Even if he suits up for just 26 games next season, he could surpass Tim Duncan to enter the top 10 in games played.
While catching Steph Curry can be written off, James is within reach of the top 10 in 3-point field goals. With three shot conversions from beyond the arc, James would knock Paul Pierce out of the Top 10. LeBron James’ 20th season is lining up to be historic.
