NBA superstar LeBron James declared himself the greatest basketball player in history during a recent interview with Time magazine.
In the profile piece released Monday, James was asked about the ongoing debate over who deserves the title of NBA’s greatest of all time, and he confidently backed himself for the honor.
“I’m not taking nobody over me,” James stated to Time. “There’s no question.”
The Lakers forward acknowledged that basketball history includes numerous legendary players, including Hall of Fame inductees Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Larry Bird and Shaquille O’Neal, along with others.
“But I think Mike will say the same thing,” James explained. “Rest his soul, Kobe will say the same thing. Magic will say the same thing. Bird will say the same thing. Shaq could say the same thing. The late great Wilt (Chamberlain), Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar). I don’t think none of us are going to take somebody else.
“If there’s a general manager and he’s eyeballing all of us on a baseline, with the No. 1 pick, it’s gonna be hard not to take me, champ.”
The 41-year-old athlete recently wrapped up his historic 23rd NBA campaign and now faces unrestricted free agency as the league’s all-time scoring leader.
Regarding his future in basketball, James explained his decision-making process to Time magazine.
“It’s up to the mind,” he said about potentially playing another season versus retiring. “Where the mind goes, the body will lay. When I’m not in love with getting to the arenas on game days five hours before to start my preparation, if I’m out of love with getting to practice 2 1/2 hours beforehand, then I know I’ll be done. Because then I’m going to start cheating the game.”
During this past season with the Los Angeles Lakers, James posted averages of 20.9 points, 7.2 assists and 6.1 rebounds. The veteran player has earned 22 All-Star selections, four league MVP awards and four NBA championships while setting all-time records for both games played (1,622) and total points scored (43,440).
