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LeBron James is doing historic things this season, spurring on the G.O.A.T conversation multiple times. He was on an offensive outburst, surpassing Karl Malone to take the second spot on the all-time scoring list and hadn’t slowed down until his ankle injury that now has him on the sidelines.
LeBron James’ former assistant coach, Jason Kidd, picked James as the G.O.A.T. in a recent interview – citing his impact both on and off the court as the reason. Kidd called James a complete package, for using his influence to drive change in the society – with the list of ventures that he is part of.
Kidd’s comments sparked a debate on “Skip and Shannon: Undisputed”, with Shannon Sharpe going to bat for LeBron James – and not just based on his off-court presence:
“For me Skip, what he’s been able to do, how he’s been able to do it and for as long as he’s been able to do it – LeBron James is the best player in my opinion.
“If he averages what he’s been averaging – this year – he’ll be in the top four All-Time in assists. About the same time, he’s about to be the number one scorer All-Time.”
Throughout his career, LeBron James has been playing elite basketball while adapting with time. He has played in different eras, changed his game to showcase his playmaking abilities and won four championships along the way.
Although Michael Jordan has been perfect in the NBA Finals, winning in all of his six appearances, Shannon Sharpe is not holding that against him:
“The man has been in more finals than everybody, with the exception of the Celtics and the Lakers. I think that speaks volumes.”
While on-court impact is a bigger criterion in determining the greatness of a player, LeBron James has used his voice and popularity to facilitate change. His initiatives with the I-Promise school and other charitable contributions, his openness in discussing societal issues and using his platform for the right reasons – far surpass what Michael Jordan did back in the day.
Shannon Sharpe then summed-up his argument by saying:
“The All-NBAs, the MVPs, the Finals MVPs, the finals apperances – the totality of his body of work. Skip look, obviously if you put off the court into it, it’s not even close. But I don’t factor that.”
LeBron James’ injury is diminishing playoff hopes for the LA Lakers
LeBron James’ nineteenth season in the league could be further reduced if the Lakers are unable to win games in the final stretch. The LA Lakers (31-44) are back in tenth place after the San Antonio Spurs (31-45) suffered a defeat against the Memphis Grizzlies last night. But the schedule for the Lakers is not very favorable.
With no clarity on when James or Anthony Davis will be back, the Lakers will have to face the Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets, among other teams.
The team is on a three-game losing streak and will face the New Orleans Pelicans (33-43) in a must-win fixture once they return home. What was planned to be a title contention season is now hanging by a thread, while James can only hope for a quick recovery.
Guess the Lakers players!
