LeBron James Forum

Played too long? Dude is 7th in the league in scoring average. Not like he's hanging on by his fingernails in pursuit of the record.

One thing I'll give him credit for is he's been in the public eye a long time. You can feel as you wish about his use of that time, but he's basically had few if any really poor choices and or been caught doing bad stuff.

Even his 'I'm taking my talents' televised reveal which gets panned was a good idea (people forget it was set up to benefit charity) poorly executed.

Respect him as an athlete, but I do not hold him in high regard for publicized off-court beliefs/statements though he has a definite right to them. GOAT? Not in same league as Bill Russell due to championships he won with Boston.

I feel like I'm just repeating what many others have said, but I respect him as an athlete. His career stats and longevity are quite impressive. But his off-court attitudes are just too much. This is not a feeling I have exclusively for him but also for other athletes who get involved in politics constantly. If you are an athlete, please don't take advantage of your platform to advance political motives. It bogs down sports in all of the issues that I use sports to get away from.

To echo other here ...ZERO. The true Greats of the game played in the era where you didn't start right out of high school and played without all the rules that turned it into a scoring game fest and to that his stance on China and the Muslim internment camps and Hong Kong are a couple of the many reasons why I turned off the NBA. Modern athletes worry more about their personal brand then the game or their impact on social issues. A good rule of thumb for an athlete or celebrity is if the public has no idea of your politics or social views you are doing your job well

OK. Well it seems like he's played forever. After 20ish years I'm just ready to hear about someone new. I did like him in Cleveland, esp the second time around. 

As a LeBron fan, I do have respect for what he has accomplished. While I don't personally agree with everything he states/supports off the court, he is one of the most talented players on the court and can score, yet also knows when to get his teammates involved. I can comfortably say there has never been another player like LeBron in the league and likely won't be again. That can also be said for Jordan, Kobe, Kareem, Shaq, Bill Russell, Steph Curry, Magic, Bird, Wilt Chamberlain, and potentially even Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, and Giannis Antetekounmpo (as well as tons of others). The players mold their games after the players that have came before them, while also putting their own twist on it to make it theirs. As the game has evolved with rules and changes, the players had to adjust as well. With all respect to the players, someone like Bill Russell or Wilt Chamberlain likely wouldn't have success in today's era of outide shooting, but current players would have generally lacked the physical necessity of going to the basket the way it used to be.

I feel like the GOAT depends on what era you really watched. The game has evolved so much that I don't feel like there is a true answer to the GOAT of the league. However, I feel there is an aspect of how much they altered the history of the game, for example rule adjustments. In the early days of the league, there wasn't goaltending and it could be a block by knocking it out of the basket. There wasn't a shot clock or 8-second violation for bringing the ball up the court. There wasn't a 3-point line. For me, I feel like there are multiple GOATs, but for the eras in which they played. I would include Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Steph Curry. I give a nod to Bird and Magic with the famous rivalry between the Lakers and Celtics and the way they brought out the best in each other. The game will continue to evolve and others will likely do things that have been unthought of or believed to be impossible because future players will be basing their game fundamentals off of today's superstars like current players used players in the past as their inspiration.

To sum everything up, I do have respect for LeBron, as well as other athletes who are truly gifted at their sport, (regardless of what they may say or stand for when not in the game since there is a difference in having respect for their abilities and agreeing with their opinions and viewpoints) and appreciate how he gives back to his hometown and spends time with his family and kids, while being one of the sport's most iconic/media-promoted athletes. I can't say there is just one GOAT as the different players have influenced the game based on how the rules were for that point in time. I feel like LeBron's record is a note-worthy achievement rather you support or dislike him and makes it difficult to argue his on-court greatness.

As long as they're not being a menace to society (see Watson, DeShaun , Bauer, Trevor etc) I really dont care how an athlete spends their off the field of play time. If they choose to advocate for things they believe, whether I support those things or not, so be it. If they choose to sit home playing video games fine too. They've got the same right to speak up and out as the guy living down the street.

Asking how people view any athlete or celebrity away from their field is in reality just asking people to put a mirror up and reveal their own views.

On the court, at age 38 he's still one of the best 5 or so basketball players on the planet. That takes a level of focus and attention that is ultra rare.

Everyone likes to comment on how socially they don't like him but cite Bill/Kareem/Ali, forgetting what Bill Russel (being part of the first all-black starting 5 NCAA champion, civil rights), Kareem Abdual-Jabbar (changed religions and sat out playing for America in the Olympics for the unequal treatment of African Americans), or Muhammad Ali (conscientious objector) were all leaders and activist in their times.  If it weren't for them paving the way, Lebron may have never had the opportunity.

Lebron has done at least what they have in activism if not more being able to use capitalism to his benefit and then build the I Promise initiatives in his hometown.  I haven't watched NBA since Jordan retired the third time but to play as long as he has, at as high a level as he has, and what he has done, he deserves every bit of the accolades that people cite Bill/Kareem/Ali for.

I've not forgotten anything. Kareem is an eloquent defender of his beliefs, and to his credit doesn't demean those who disagree with him.

LeBron was raised with basically no father, lavished with national media attention as a high schooler, then paid multimillions of dollars to play pro basketball at 18. Think of all the ways that could have gone horribly wrong. But it didn't. I can't recall him ever being in any real trouble. LeBron seems driven to be a great player, take care of his family, and make a positive difference in the world. Does he miss the mark sometimes? Sure. But I respect that he's trying. 

As far as "The Announcement" is concerned, it's time to move on, people. Grown men twice his age stuck a microphone in LeBron's face every day for a year asking him where he was going to go, but then when he had the audacity to act like the announcement was a big deal, they said he was an egomaniac. Shame on them.

I grew up when NBA action was "Fan-tastic!" so obviously I am nauseated by the current state of on-court play, especially in the regular season. But, even in the days of centers, dribbling and defense, I think LeBron would have been a great player because the game seems to matter to him, and I do appreciate that.