it's a sport where individuals can make an impact more so than any other sport. It's what makes players like Russell, Jordan, Hakeem, Magic, Bird, etc so darn iconic. Right now this is King James' league... he could hang with any of those greats.
It's a fact. LeBron James could hang with any superstar in the league's history. He's incredible. Great players like Bird have flat out said this. Bron is incredible. NO level of denial is going to change the fact that he's the best player in this league and the transcendent type of player who could fit in with/against any former player in history.
Really?
Larry said that LeBron was in his league?
He's the best player RIGHT NOW, but comparing him to Russell, Hakeem, Larry, Magic...
Maybe I'm just too old school, but LeBron, while talented, couldn't hold a candle to the old-time greats.
KG in his prime would be too much of a load for LeBron, especially.
LeBron still had trouble keeping 35 y.o. Pierce under wraps in the playoffs, too.
Yeah dude... in a sea of denial, you gotta go to a legend to get some truth.
Larry Bird: "He [LeBron] actually carried them all the way through the playoffs," Bird said during an interview with ESPN. "If you go back to the beginning of the playoffs, has anyone ever had a better run? It'd seem like you'd have a bad game once in awhile. He never did have a bad game. He was so focused. You just saw his confidence build and build and build. He should go down in history as one of the top players and maybe he can get close to Michael [Jordan]."
James statistically is already up there with anyone who has ever played the game. He's been the the Finals 3 times and finally has a ring. If we are comparing 27 year old Michael Jordan to 27 year old LeBron James... you might have to take LeBron over him. True fact.
Dude is already a 3 Time MVP, a 2 time Gold Medalist... an 8 time allstar... He could absolutely "Hang" with any player who has ever played the game. He's like a hybrid of Magic Johnson with early Jordan... in Karl Malone's body. He would match up well with the legends of the game... and the legends would have loved playing with him. Bird was quoted as saying LeBron would have been the most fun player of this generation to play with (same interview where he said he'd prefer playing with Kobe just because of Kobe's homicidal will to win)
I know a lot of folks here hate him, because they think he's a rival to the celtics... a lot of it is just jealousy as well. But arguing that LeBron couldn't hang with legends like Barkley is just as ridiculous as someone in 1991 arguing that Jordan couldn't hang with legends like john havlicek.
