The debates on social media about whether LeBron James has superseded Michael Jordan as the greatest of all time have often been supercharged, vicious and never-ending.
King James added kerosene to the blaze of a conversation when he stated bluntly that he believed he is the GOAT.
The moment crystallized for James when his Cleveland Cavs did something unprecedented in NBA history: came back from a 3-1 deficit against the record-breaking Golden State Warriors in 2016 to capture the town’s first NBA title.
“At that moment, I was like, ‘I’m the greatest basketball player people have ever seen in all facets. I can play the one through five; I can guard one through five. Did something that’s never been done in the history of the sport. Teams that go down 3-1 were 0 for like 32 in Finals history. There’s nobody ever coming out of that. And nobody gave us a chance. I just felt like, ‘Ain’t nobody better than me at this,’ ” he said.
James likened his team’s improbable feat to when Jay-Z dropped the culture-shifting album, The Blueprint.
“‘I felt like Jay-Z when he made The Blueprint. That moment right there made me the greatest player of all time, that’s what I felt,” James told TNT’s Kenny Smith, who is also a two-time champion.
King James, 37, was in a state of bliss when the hometown kid gave the Cavs their first championship in any sport in over 50 years.
“I was super, super ecstatic to win one for Cleveland because of the 52-year drought. The first wave of emotion was everyone saw me crying. That was all for 52 years of everything in sports going on in Cleveland. And then after I stopped, I was like, ‘That one right there made you the greatest player of all time,’ ” he said.
