S e u o n g Posted October 13, 2020 Posted October 13, 2020 It's the perennial question. Who is better, Wilt Chamberlain or Bill Russell? Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or Larry Bird? Magic Johnson or Michael Jordan? LeBron James has been in that conversation for some time. With his fourth NBA championship now in the record books, has the Los Angeles Lakers star secured his seat among the greats on basketball's Olympus? Or is he the GOAT? Where to begin? Arguably not enough is said of James' remarkable consistency, given he's made the NBA Finals in nine of the last 10 seasons, and 10 of the last 13. True, if you'd ask anyone whether they'd take Michael Jordan's six NBA titles in six Finals or James' four in 10, they would take the Chicago Bulls star's record. Yet there is something seriously impressive about James' record in itself. Of those who have reached nine or more NBA Finals, alongside James, only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did it with more than one team. Abdul-Jabbar reached two with the Milwaukee Bucks and eight with the Lakers. James is the only player to have gone to nine or more Finals across three different teams: five with the Cleveland Cavaliers, four with the Miami Heat and one with the Lakers. Wherever he goes, greatness follows. Other greats of the modern era like Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Shaquille O'Neal reached multiple finals, but none can match the consistent success that James has. Yes, Bryant and Duncan have five titles to James' four but the Lakers star is 35 and plays like he's 25. After securing his fourth NBA Finals MVP award this year, James is now the first player in NBA history to win the accolade with three different teams. Only Michael Jordan has more with six. James could play for much longer. He could launch another Lakers dynasty. And he still has time on his side to break even more records. 'It became personal with me' Unfortunately for basketball fans, there was no crossover with James and Jordan. Jordan retired for good at the end of the 2002/03 season, after two years with the Washington Wizards. That same season James was drafted No. 1 overall by his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers. That hasn't stopped the GOAT conversation. When the Bulls drafted Jordan, as referenced in "The Last Dance" series, he inherited a "traveling cocaine circus." He took a perennially losing franchise which hadn't had a winning season in nearly 10 years, put them on his shoulders, and dragged them all the way to the NBA playoffs every year that he played for the team, bringing the city its six NBA championships. Similarly, James joined a Cleveland Cavaliers side in 2003 that over the previous five seasons had won just 130 games of a possible 378. He was also the hometown kid, expected to bring great things since he was in his early teens. Like Jordan, I have turned a bottom feeder into a challenger.
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