“You look at Kobe, Kevin Garnett… They were not good players when they first got into the NBA” - Charles Barkley toasts LeBron James as the greatest story in sports history

Charles Barkley is a confessed Michael Jordan fan, but didn’t hold back from giving LeBron James his well-deserved flowers. Barkley had nothing but appreciation for what “King James” has accomplished in 20 years in the NBA.

On "The Draymond Green Show," Barkley commented on what has impressed him the most in James’ career:

“I think what LeBron has accomplished is arguably the greatest story in sports history. For No. 1, you look at Kobe, Kevin Garnett, guys like that, they were not good players when they first got into the NBA. LeBron is the only player in my forty years in the NBA who played great from day 1.

“And for him to turn into one of the best players ever, he’s never gotten in trouble, especially in this 24-hour news cycle with social media. For him to be as great as he’s been from the year 18 to where he’s at now, I think it’s one of the greatest stories in sports history. He was that good from day 1.”

Charles Barkley compared LeBron James' early years in the league to that of Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett. Bryant and Garnett struggled in their rookie seasons for the LA Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves, respectively.

Although their raw talent was off the charts, they still had to work a lot on their game. Bryant averaged only 7.6 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game in his debut season. The Lakers were unquestionably Shaquille O’Neal’s team when the “Black Mamba” came into the league.

Garnett put up better numbers than Bryant. The Timberwolves' future franchise player put up 10.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 1.6 blocks per contest as a rookie. Garnett had the veteran core of Sam Mitchell, Christian Laettner, Tom Gugliotta and Isaiah Rider as franchise leaders.

LeBron James, right off the bat, lived up to all the hoopla of his entry into the NBA. He averaged 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.6 steals per game as a rookie and was the Cleveland Cavaliers’ best player in his first season.

The expectations on James’ shoulders have arguably been bigger than anyone in NBA history, including Michael Jordan. And yet, the Akron, Ohio native has hardly disappointed over a career spanning nearly two decades.

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More history beckons LeBron James

Next season, the entire basketball world will be looking forward to LeBron James’ chase of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring crown. A record that looked untouchable when “Captain Skyhook” retired could be broken by “King James” long before the season ends.

James has 37,062 points and needs just 1,325 points to match Abdul-Jabbar's mark.

As Barkley emphasized, nobody in NBA history has been as consistent as the four-time MVP.

The records James has piled up over the years are simply staggering. Year 20 could see him hoard even more of some of the game’s most illustrious achievements. What he has accomplished since his first day in the league has arguably put him on a level above any athlete in American sports history.