Philadelphia 76ers star LeBron James has had one brilliant career. Ever since being selected No. 1 overall back in 2003, he was faced with an extraordinary amount of pressure and challenges and he did not blink as he took on all of it and exceeded expectations.
James is a 22-time All-Star, 21-time All-NBA Team member, a 4-time champion and finals MVP, and the game's all-time scoring leader. He led the Cleveland Cavaliers to their only title in 2016 despite trailing the 73-9 Golden State Warriors 3-1 in the series and is still one of the best in the game despite entering year 24.
HoopsHype ranked the top 80 players in NBA history and James comes in with the No. 1 spot on the list, ahead of Michael Jordan at No. 2:
While we still consider MJ to have a higher peak than LeBron, at this point you have to bow down to King James. His advantage in terms of sustained excellence is just too big to ignore, with LeBron at No. 1 and far ahead of His Airness in an increasing number of accolades and statistical categories.
James came into the NBA with unreal expectations and somehow managed to surpass all of them – and then some. James is clutch, he can score at a ridiculous level, rebounds well and is an amazing playmaker, perhaps his most impressive trait. Few players have ever matched James’ absurd basketball IQ, one that he could use to continue to dominate for a few seasons as his career winds down.
All in all, even the biggest backers of the next player on this list in the GOAT debate have to admit, James’ career, and the fact he’s been able to stay this good for this long, has been nothing short of astounding. It’s extremely unlikely we’ll ever see another career like James’, one that saw him earning All-NBA honors even in his 40s.
In year 23, James averaged 20.9 points, 7.2 assists, and 6.1 rebounds. That is unreal production for a player this late in his career and he then upped his scoring in the playoffs at 23.2 points per game. He is phenomenal in every sense of the word and will look to bring his otherworldly talents to the City of Brotherly Love.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Sixers star LeBron James ranked as the best player in NBA history