"Michael Jordan is here..he is inching up there" - Magic Johnson believes LeBron James' legacy is solidified despite Lakers' struggles, calls him a "champion not only on the court but off the court"
Throughout his career, LeBron James has been on a pursuit of greatness. Even before he stepped foot in the NBA, many were ready to crown the 18-year-old prodigy as one of the best to ever play the game.
Fast forward to now, and LeBron James lived up to the hefty expectations set all those years ago. He has been the face of the league for nearly two decades, and has racked up about every accolade possible. As we approach the final years of his NBA tenure, LeBron James' case as the greatest player of all time continues to grow.
NBA legend Magic Johnson appeared on ESPN's 'Get Up' to talk about LeBron James' historic career. He feels James' legacy is firmly in tact, but does mention one thing he'd like to see in these final years:
"The legacy is set in stone, I just hope he gets another championship. I hope he can compete."
.@MagicJohnson says despite the Lakers' struggles this season, LeBron's legacy is solidified.
"The legacy is set in stone. ... He's inching up there [towards Michael Jordan], but his story is still being written. .... He's a champion not only on the court but off the court." https://t.co/AKqDRzrWlp
After being labeled a finals contender before the year began, it has been a bumpy road for the Lakers. With a record of 31-47, they are on the brink of missing the postseason. The San Antonio Spurs hold a two-game lead for the final spot in the play-in tournament with only four games to go in the regular season.
While the Lakers' season didn't pan out how they may have hoped, James put on an incredible campaign to try and keep the team afloat. At 37-years-old, he is in the mix to win his first scoring title since 2007-08. Even at this stage of his career, James proved he can still compete at the highest level.
LeBron James continues to do things we've never seen before
The debate between LeBron James and Michael Jordan is one that will likely never end. They are among the NBA's greatest talents, and have a strong case as to why they are the "G.O.A.T."
While discussing James' career, Magic Johnson made a simple statement as to why the Lakers' forward is the best of all time. He is on pace to be the most elite all-around talent in league history.
"Look at what we're talking about. He's going to be the all-time leading scorer, he's going to be one of the top assist man of all time."
James is currently second all-time in points and seventh in assists. He will likely surpass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in scoring next year and will be around the top five in passing when all is said and done.
LeBron James now becomes the second player in history with 37,000 points 🚨
https://t.co/qylVHF3XuX
Johnson admitted Jordan is still the top dog, but feels James is right on his heels. The deciding factor is that the book is still open on James' career.
"Michael Jordan is here, he's inching up there, but his story is still being written."
James is by far the best player of this generation and could very well go down as the best player ever. To put it simply, nobody in the NBA has ever been this good for this long. Based on his comments, it seems Magic Johnson is preparing himself to crown a new Greatest of All Time.