“When he passes Kareem in scoring, you have to anoint him as the GOAT” - Isiah Thomas believes LeBron James is the best all-round player he’s ever seen
NBA and Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is arguably the greatest player of all time. According to former NBA champion Isiah Thomas, when "King James" passes Kareem-Abdul Jabbar for the most points scored in NBA history, that claim will carry even more weight.
Appearing on ESPN's morning show First Take, the former Detroit Pistons point guard suggested that James is well on his way to being considered the greatest basketball player of all time.
"When he passes Kareem in scoring, you have to anoint him as the GOAT. By the time LeBron James is done, he is the only player in the history of our game that will probably be ranked top-ten or top-five in every statistical category. Never been done before." - said Thomas
Thomas continued on by saying that he has never seen a player in his or anybody else's lifetime "that is so thoroughly dominant in every statistical category" as James.
"We have never ever seen a player in my lifetime, or anybody else's lifetime, seen a player that is so thoroughly dominant in every statistical category. You can't be considered the GOAT and you don't lead in no statistical category." - Thomas continued
Thomas' statement might lose a bit of credibility when considering that the other name in the GOAT debate is none other than Michael Jordan. Thomas has had bad blood with Jordan, stemming back to their playing days.
.@IsiahThomas believes that LeBron is the most dominant player he's ever seen.
"When he passes Kareem in scoring, you HAVE to anoint him as the GOAT." 🐐 https://t.co/WQRMnrIX18
Is LeBron James the GOAT?
When it comes down to the conversation of who the greatest player of all time is, it is pretty clear that it comes down to only two players - LeBron James and Michael Jordan. James came into the league in 2003 as the self anointed "Chosen One" and the heir to Jordan's throne, so much so that he decided to wear the #23 jersey as well.
James has had an incredible career that has seen him go to the NBA Finals 10 times, winning four championships and four Finals MVP awards with three different teams. Wherever he goes, that team becomes relevant and becomes a championship contender.
NBA stat clubs LeBron James is a sole member of:
27000/7000/7000 club
28000/8000/8000 club
29000/9000/9000 club
30000/9000/9000 club
31000/9000/9000 club
32000/9000/9000 club
33000/9000/9000 club
34000/9000/9000 club
35000/9000/9000 club
36000/9000/9000 club https://t.co/1oDo0hM0Gg
For his career, James is averaging 27.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.4 assists while shooting the ball better than 50% from the field and nearly 35% from beyond the arc. Not only can he put the ball in the net at will, he also improves the players around him by getting them open looks. He has sometimes been described as a combination of Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson.
You can never really compare eras because of the different rules and the difference in the way the game was played. This means that making comparisons between Jordan and James can sometimes prove impossible. The pair also never got to play against each other, which also makes it harder to determine who the better player is.
With that being said, calling LeBron James the GOAT isn't unsubstantiated at all, especially when almost every major statistical category backs your claim.