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Ever since LeBron James won his first NBA championship in 2012, there has gradually been a growing contingent of fans and pundits who feel he is the greatest basketball player of all time.
Many still feel that Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan still deserves that honor, but with James’ Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals versus the Denver Nuggets, he has a chance to strengthen his argument.
Of course, James already augmented that argument a few months ago when he surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA’s all-time leading career scorer.
Former NBA player Chandler Parsons says that if James leads the Lakers to the world title this summer, he should be considered the greatest ever and it would “put an end on the whole debate” for him (h/t Lakers Daily).
.@bansky: “This might be [LeBron’s] last chance to win a title”@ChandlerParsons: “If he wins this after everything they’ve been through this season… tell me he’s not the best player of all time” 🐐#RunItBack with @MichelleDBeadle & @thekidet pic.twitter.com/qwqgdyAamd
— FanDuel TV (@FanDuelTV) May 16, 2023
The Lakers lost Game 1 to the Nuggets on Tuesday, 132-126, but they still should have a very real chance of winning the series and advancing to the NBA Finals to face either the Boston Celtics or Miami Heat.
In particular, a championship over Boston would greatly help James’ argument, especially among those who have been reluctant to give him credit for his accomplishments.