LeBron James, Shaquille O'Neal and other legends get cut from Julius Erving's top 10 NBA players of all time

In an interview with Ballislife.com's Joy De'Angela, Julius Erving gave a list of his top 10 NBA players of all time, which didn't include LeBron James.

The list was also tweeted by @TheDunkCentral.

As LeBron James isn't part of the list, Shaquille O'Neal is also not included. Julius Erving's list contains the usual standouts, like Michael Jordan, Bill Russell, Magic Johnson and even Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

The list mostly contained NBA legends who impressed Julius Erving the most. Although there are no current players or early 2000s stars, Erving is most likely one of those former NBA players who are hard to impress.

At the same time, he could also have a different connection to the players he played against and watched before.

For lists containing all-time NBA players, there are usually debates regarding the selection. The result is endless discussions on what the standard should be when it comes to making these types of lists.

However, that may be the case for basketball bloggers or journalists. It's a lot different for NBA players, as they are the ones who spent time playing in the professional league.

Including LeBron James on all-time lists is the norm and the standard for the media, but it may not be in the line of former NBA players.

Based on the eye test, statistics and an impressive list of accomplishments, putting Shaquille O'Neal on top 10 lists is a no-brainer. However, from Erving's perspective, there are other NBA big men that he just couldn't leave out. He included the likes of Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain.

Julius Erving praises LeBron James

In an interview on the Rich Eisen Show, Julius Erving made sure to praise LeBron James for what he has accomplished in his career, as mentioned in a Fadeaway World article by Divij Kulkarni.

"He's gonna play into his 40s," Erving said. "He's gonna have a 22 or 23-year career. And nobody's done that in basketball either. He can still be that complete player ... he's a total machine. He's gonna be the guy. He's gonna be the guy who re-establishes the bar for what the GOAT is."

Erving said this when LeBron James was getting closer to eclipsing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the NBA's all-time scoring record.

Despite getting swept in the Western Conference finals last season at the hands of the Denver Nuggets, James still had an impressive individual 2022-23 season.

He finished the season, at 38 years of age, averaging 28.9 points (50.0% shooting, including 32.1% from 3-point range), 8.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists.