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When talking about the greatest basketball players ever, LeBron James and Michael Jordan are often the first two mentioned. When all is said and done, both will have legitimate cases to be the GOAT. With James' career slowly coming to an end, this debate is becoming a more common discussion.
Hall of Fame center Shaquille O'Neal recently weighed in with his thoughts. He gave Jordan a slight edge because opponents never feared James the way they did the Bulls legend.
Skip Bayless went on FS1's "Skip and Shannon: Undisputed" and agreed with Shaq. He cited this as to why he has multiple players ahead of James on his all-time list:
"The guy I rank third-greatest of all time epitomized my biggest issue with LeBron vs. Jordan in the GOAT debate."
When listing his greatest players ever, Bayless cited killer instinct as a key factor. This is something guys Jordan and Shaq had, but Bayless has never seen it in James.
"(O'Neal) was what I call a cold-blooded killer. So was Magic (Johnson), and at the highest level, so was Michael Jordan."
LeBron James is still a feared force in the NBA
While Shaquille O'Neal has every right to share his thoughts on the game, he and Bayless seem to be selling LeBron James short. Even at this stage of his career, the Lakers forward is still a feared force in the league.
It might not be to the degree that it was in his younger years, but teams still dread having to deal with James. He is still in good physical condition and is capable of controlling any game with his elite-level basketball IQ.
This season is a prime example of why James is still feared in some capacity. At 37 years old, he averaged 30.3 points per game. On top of that, James went off for at least 50 points twice.
If there was any time the NBA legitimately feared James, it was during his stint with the Miami Heat. Not only was he flanked by All-Stars Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, but he was at his peak from an athletic standpoint. He was a force attacking the basket, and very few teams had an answer to slow him down.
It might not seem it because he doesn't display his competitive nature the way Jordan did, but James has that killer instinct as well. He's risen to the occasion countless times in big moments. That's why he will is one of the best ever to step on an NBA court.
