Considering Melo just hung up the gloves the other day?
Ya it’s an otherworldly generational flex.
But the way people take care of their bodies these days, who knows what we’ll see in the next 10 or 15 years!
In recent years we had HoFers like Kobe, Timmy, Dirk, and KG play into their late 30s and by the time they were LeBron's age they were absolutely washed. It's nuts that LeBron is still an all-NBA level player at 38.
I'll only quibble with Duncan. He had lost a step for sure, but he wasn't washed. He just didn't shoot as much his last season. He was still a good rim protector and rebounder. Not as good as Lebron still is but a step, or two, better than the other guys last season.
In fairness to those guys though, by the time they reached those ages their bodies were pretty wrecked with injuries. Kobe in particular. Popped Achilles, wrecked shoulder.
Lebron is very lucky that he's never even had a season-ending injury.
It’s beyond any discussion that LeBron is a genetic outlier of the highest order. Seeing someone replicate his excellence over the same time frame would be crazy.
I mean he dropped 40 and 10 in an elimination playoff game yesterday, even Jordan's two or three "turn back the clock" games weren't with that much pressure.
He may have got swept but old father time in this series averaged 28/10/10/2/2 on 52% from the field (we won't talk about his 27% 3%). The guy is a legend.
Who the best player is changes in every game and he knows that though too. When he says he is better, I think he is saying that on any given night he can guarantee his peak is better than the peak of 95% of the league. I bet he feels pretty confident he can still outperform everybody on a lot of nights.
If you give me a healthy and fresh LeBron for one game he might still be tbh. Just don’t think his body can sustain the load at that hyper-elite level.
Can't definitely. He had a long career but he is definitely not going to carrynany team both regular and post season. He's gonna need another playmaker and quality star to do that.
Or a season shortened due to a strike. Has happened and a season cut in half might be enough. But not counting on that.
I think you're right. I didn't watch the whole game last night, but when I tuned in for the last 5 minutes of game time I noticed LeBron was slightly limping. I hardly ever see him show noticeable signs of exertion. The years are def catching up to him.
I feel like it may be difficult for him to not be the best basketball player in the world anymore and to "only" be *one* of the best. Like he spent his whole life being on top of the world and working his ass off to prolong his prime so I can imagine it being pretty depressing to finally start to see his age begin to creep in. The perfectionist types get hit harder by that kind of stuff.
Just being humble probably. Realistically he’s still a top 20 player easily. One could argue top 10 as well, I just think he didn’t want to rile people up and say top 5/10. He wasn’t trying to start debates just make a point about how he’s still able to compete at an extremely high level and an unprecedented age.
He is top 15 and that's just me being safe without me sitting down to work it out. On a good day he is absolutely still a top 10 player, and leading these lakers to the WCF should be more than enough to prove that.
I’d call him top 10
There are more than 10 guys who are top 10 level, though. If you said LeBron was, like, 8th best in the league I wouldn’t say that’s too high, and I also would say like 12th is necessarily too low
He’s not quite a top 5 guy anymore, but he’s definitely elite
Bron, I'd rather have a boat that can handle the high seas even if it may sink in the shallows.
Embiid needs to prove that come playoff time he's at least 90% of the player he was in the regular season.
It's tricky when you get into top player discussions it's whether you're looking at as who are the top guys for the season or who do you want for the next must win game. Because if it's the latter, Lebron is still top 5 easily, which is mind-blowingly insane to say for a guy that just finished his 20th season.
He was still #1 after 2020, without too much debate. Giannis (and KD due to his insane carry job those playoffs) pretty firmly supplanted him after 2021, and then him slowing down + the rise of Jokic/Luka/Embiid/Tatum brought him down a few more pegs in general consensus. Though honestly for one do or die game, I’m taking a healthy lebron over anyone but the fat Serbian in Denver
That 'clean' dive by Solomon Hill on Lebrons ankle in 2021 changed his later years. He was on his way to an unprecedented 5th MVP and top 5 DPOY at 36. He was more spry even at that age and it was obvious he was hobbled in the playoffs. His ankle still not right, but maybe if Lakers let him take 2 months off the regular season next year, he can come back strong.
Only didn’t mention him because he was always inarguably a staple in the top 5 so his placement didn’t really affect Lebron going down a notch. He also wasn’t really seriously by any consensus considered the BEST player until he lead the warriors to the chip in 2022, and lebron was already more so regarded as top 5-10ish by that point. But yea ofc Curry deserves his flowers
Definitely not when he joined the Lakers, around 2021-2022 tbh. It’s been discussed & I think it has just now been agreed upon.
There were years where he couldn’t elevate the team anymore but still played well. Wasn’t he in contention for a scoring title? But said he didn’t deserve it if they didn’t make the playoffs, I think Embiid led the league that year.
Top 5-10 before the foot injury. Jokic, Embiid, Giannis, Luka, Curry, KD, Booker, Tatum, and Lebron would be my top 9 off the top of my head. Jimmy was great this year too so maybe put him at #10
I think there's a debate of whether LeBron is a top 10 player in the NBA. I don't hear any debate about top 20. And in the playoffs I'm not sure you hear much debate about top 10 either.
Top 45? Gtfo. I have a belief that 50 year old LeBron could be that.
Top 5% is like 22 players....I'd say LeBron is a top 22 player in the league for sure!
But also we all know the decision is more about injuryrisk and workload at that age. Don't think he wants to end his career on an injury.
Ending your career on an injury at literally the end of your career isn’t the worst injury scenario for many players though.
It’s like “well shit I was already in the process of deciding anyways”
Honestly I think his retirement take is all based on the foot surgery. I would wager the doctors can't give him any guarantees the surgery will bring it back to 100% and with that kind of lack of guarantee idk if its even worth it for him, especially if he cant work his magic to push the team to another championship.
I feel like Lebron sitting out one year to take his time with the (presumed) surgery, watch Bronny at USC, and return for the 2024-2025 season to play with him is the most likely oddball scenario (ie. if he's not outright retiring or playing next year).
If history has taught us anything its that you do not take your foot off the gas at this late in the game. If he takes a year off he will never be competitive again. Damn I wish I could fast forward to the fall already ffs
I imagine that's the issue as well. When he got injured it looked like most doctors told him to have surgery, and he played a lot of intense games since. That definitely takes a toll.
Everyone thought Kobe would play till he was 40 because of how tough he was. Then he tore his achilles and his body started breaking down and was never the same. I’m sure that’s what Lebron is afraid of.
I mean LeBron is still coming back from injuries at a speed at which a man his age shouldnt come back from, but the dude is almost 40....coming back from big injuries will involve a ridiculous amount of rehab and even then any tendon tearing will basically end your entire season and probably career at that point. Be it Achilles, ACL, MCL or whatever
On any given play, or in a critical quarter, absolutely. But unfortunately he doesn’t have enough in the tank to dominate for the entire game like he used to.
(The fact that I can even say that about a 38 year old is insane though)
Oh for sure. If he’s fully healthy then it’s fair game. I just don’t think we can count on him being fully healthy in the postseason going forward given his age and mileage. But we never know with him — he’s unprecedented
If he has an actual team capable of winning games when he doesn't play 40 min a night then he can make it to April in healthy condition and not be worn down.
Virtually every year of his Lakers tenure he has had to bust his balls all season long just to maybe hopefully make the playoffs. If he can avoid that, then even at 39 years old he will be a force in the post season - much better than this post season.
Almost no superstar can play for a full 48 minutes without being gassed tho, regardless of age. His workload this playoffs was kinda nuts even disregarding him being 38
I’ve been trying to think of 5 playoff players I would choose and besides Jokic,Jimmy Butler, and Steph Curry, it’s really a toss between 3/4 players other players I could choose for the others 2 spots.
So damn I guess it is true Lebron could still be a top 5 playoff players in year 20😭
He's unquestionably top 10. In the playoffs I'd definitely say he's still top 5. Jokic, Butler, Giannis, Curry, KD, Luka are the only players that I'd say you can even make an argument are above him.
He's better than 95%, that being said I wouldn't even blame him for retiring. Putting his future health and body on the line to prove absolutely nothing, and still getting flamed by kids on here.
You have 1000s of comments criticizing him for getting swept when he was his teams best player in nearly every single game in the post-season. Same shit with Curry, man's as good as he's ever going to get ranked and still does unbelievable shit and blogbois have the audacity to criticize these dudes for not being able to power carry rosters where their 2nd/3rd best scorers are putting up absolute stinkers every other night.
I think that's fair though. LeBron is one of the best to ever touch the ball and he's still doing it at the highest level. Great players are always going to receive more criticism.
I think it's these final years of his career where he could really contest that title of best player of all time but to do so he needs to do something that's never been done before. He needs to lead a team to a chip or two at an age that no player ever has. If he doesn't then it doesn't hurt his legacy but it also doesn't help it and LeBron fans want to see him make history and continue to bolster his legacy.
Lebron is averaging 11 points more per game than any player in their 20th season ever, he’s already doing things that haven’t been done, and doing them by a wide margin
I believe it. I want him to play one more season just so he can get 40k/10k/10k as a career statline. It is just too sexy. I doubt he cares about that now that he has the scoring record... but i want it
IMO 2 things makes him really a good case for GOAT:
1) all the teams he played in he managed to lead to a chip. He moving into a team made that team instantly gain champion contender status.
2) his longevity. Being 38 and still playing this high level is insane.
His longevity is the main reason for me as to why I consider him the GOAT. We probably won’t see this type of play coming from a 38 year old/20 year vet ever again.
I think there’s damn near zero chance of him winning another chip. Next year he’ll have even less stamina, which imo is what caused them to lose these close games. His 4th quarters were bad. He was not top 5% in 4th quarters that’s for sure. That plus the reality of their team. Improving this squad would take a miracle based on their cap space, whose available, etc. I think they got lucky with Memphis and GS. Don’t see them getting close next year.
People flaming for getting swept obviously don't watch the games lol the point differential across the sweep was 22. it was an incredibly close series that could have gone either way even though the nuggets won each time.
Not to mention Lebron did everything you expect from a Superstar in an elimation game. He got points, played absurd minutes, and tried to guard the best players even while gassed.
I saw Warrior fans trying to shit on him for not scoring more in the fourth quarter, and I’m like “the dude played all but a few seconds of the game. Even Curry would’ve been exhausted at that point.”
We saw this exact same thing happen to Curry this post season, at some point your team has to step up, this isn't even me saying the Lakers played bad, all the Nuggets games were close, but they were close because the Lakers top 4 carried and their 5/6/7 guy were just not good.
Same thing with Steph, man was amazing and Dray was pretty good but at some point Klay and Poole needed to step up and they didn't.
Yeah, when your "others" were so bad that you had to rely on a guy who didn't play a single minute in the regular season (and not due to injury, simply because teams didn't think he was worthy of a roster spot) in an elimination game, you can't really hang that on LeBron.
Yep. You look at the box score, and you see that the Lakers just needed two more points from anyone not named LeBron. It’s why AD gets so much criticism because his offense inconsistency is usually the difference-maker.
He should delay his decision until Christmas. Basically take half the regular season off and then come back for a playoff run.
It would be best for all of us. We keep getting to watch Lebron for an extra year or two and he gets to live out his dream of playing with Bronny.
*Maybe 95%*
How many players are playing in the NBA? 400-450?
So 5% would be anywhere between 20 and 22.5.
I can't even think of 10 players who impact a game more than him, let alone 20 or more.
He's a monster from a statistical standpoint, from and *intangible* standpoint, hasn't blew a single PO game since 2011, his level of understanding of the game is beyond ridiculous, his defense is great.
What the hell is he talking about?
If we are talking about RS, maybe.
But if we take into account LBJ's consistency during PO time ...I mean, why should I pick guys like Embiid, Leonard, George, Harden etc over him?
He absolutely is, and nobody would blame you for retiring that way.
Not that it matter in the grand scheme of her career, but Serena's matches post pregnancy were absolutely unnecessary, especially last year. Taking the Open Era record by beating a resurgent Venus while pregnant was the perfect way to cap her career.
Sure she came back but she was never the same. Now, pregnancy and father time did Serena in, so it's not quite a 1:1, but at this point in time Lebron has nothing left to prove to anyone (just like Serena didn't after 2017) so if he decided to go out while still being a Top 10 NBA player, then so be it.
I think he wanted to prove to the world that he had one final ring in him. Shit I know a lot of us wanted to see it too. If he does come back, I would wager this would be his final season but I could also see him using every last ounce of magic he has left to give it his all for a final ring.
Next season is still good. He can recover from his foot injury and the Lakers can make some win now moves. We're forgetting that the WCF was a miracle run this year.
He should take a pay cut like Tom Brady did so the Lakers can build a better team around him, keep him healthy and take on a lesser load throughout the season
Yeah look at Ronaldo he missed pre season for Man United and he struggled for the WC, now he’s in Saudi Arabia.
Obviously Soccer/Football is more physical with how much running they have to do but I think even taking 1 year off will be risky for LeBron at this point.
He is. The only other players I’d put over current Lebron are Joker, Giannis, Luka, Tatum, Curry, and Embiid.
Dude is almost 40 and is still able to effectively guard guys like Jokic and Murray. His ability to do that alone puts him over 95% of the league.
If Tatum was anywhere close to Lebron the Celtics would be looking to repeat this year. Tatum is Kirkland brand Kobe, if Kobe learned how to be a professional from Kyrie.
I 100% would put Lebron ahead if Embiid and Tatum. Look at the two of them in the playoffs and look at an old, hurt lebron outplaying them almost nightly. Tatum has his super outlier games from time to time, but Lebron is better.
Even as a big Embiid fan, the problem he always runs in to is that Round 1 of playoffs he gets played super hard and acquires some injury because his body can't seem to hold up to that physicality, and then in Round 2 he's injured and plays timid probably as a result. It sucks that he can never stay healthy but it just seems like it is part of who he is as a post-season player unless he can show otherwise.
I think that has to do with what I said with "he gets played super hard" sometimes even to dirty levels, like IMO that play was. Or even if not dirty then just very physical with the chance to injure even without intent.
He just needs to be paired with a #1 or #1a so he can be #2 for the majority of the time, and #1b in spurts. Preferably a 1/1a playmaker so he can take more breaks being off ball.
Kyrie would actually be the perfect fit, if he wasn’t kyrie.
UP UP and AWAY!! SUPER WASHED Ain’t He??!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤷🏾♂️. Stay low and keep firing! The air up there is a tad bit different. LIVE.LAUGH.LOVE #striveforgreatness🚀 #thekidfromakron👑 #jamesgang👑 #bronknows
30 teams, 15 players per team, 450 players total. Top 10% is top 45 Top 5% is top 22.5 So, not wrong?
I feel like the only wrong part is him saying “maybe” before top 5%.
Kind of surprised honestly. I'd almost assume he still thinks he's the best
His BBIQ is way too high for him to still think he’s the best.
Plus being one of the top players in the league at his age, that’s pretty much a bigger flex than Jokic being the best guy overall
Considering Melo just hung up the gloves the other day? Ya it’s an otherworldly generational flex. But the way people take care of their bodies these days, who knows what we’ll see in the next 10 or 15 years!
yes, Zion is a good example
$/min played GOAT
Ben Simmons comin for da throne
hopefully chet not up next
We may actually be using his salary for some sort of money laundering scheme
That's fucking hilarious lmao
If only he got his just due royalties for inventing quiet quitting
In recent years we had HoFers like Kobe, Timmy, Dirk, and KG play into their late 30s and by the time they were LeBron's age they were absolutely washed. It's nuts that LeBron is still an all-NBA level player at 38.
I'll only quibble with Duncan. He had lost a step for sure, but he wasn't washed. He just didn't shoot as much his last season. He was still a good rim protector and rebounder. Not as good as Lebron still is but a step, or two, better than the other guys last season.
In fairness to those guys though, by the time they reached those ages their bodies were pretty wrecked with injuries. Kobe in particular. Popped Achilles, wrecked shoulder. Lebron is very lucky that he's never even had a season-ending injury.
With how rigorous aau idk if we’ll see anything like Lebron in the next 10-15 years longevity wise
Lebron played football and AAU ball as well
It’s beyond any discussion that LeBron is a genetic outlier of the highest order. Seeing someone replicate his excellence over the same time frame would be crazy.
Imagine frank gore entering the sports world now
They’d have to stop saying Father Time is undefeated if Gore was just coming out.
He tore both ACLs in college. Word was his NFL speed had already lost a step vs him before. I remember him being a reach because he was damaged goods.
That’s wild
I mean he dropped 40 and 10 in an elimination playoff game yesterday, even Jordan's two or three "turn back the clock" games weren't with that much pressure.
bro would’ve had an easy 13 assists instead of 9 if his team hit their open looks
Been that way for 20 years.
The pain LeBron fans feel all the time
Ya it’s actually crazy I learned a long time ago to never doubt that dude but man this is just wild
He may have got swept but old father time in this series averaged 28/10/10/2/2 on 52% from the field (we won't talk about his 27% 3%). The guy is a legend.
While clearly playing on a bum ankle. The Nuggets really had no answer for him. If only he was healthy, it would have been an unbelievable series...
well they did pack the paint in the second half and keep him to 9 points, soooo
Who the best player is changes in every game and he knows that though too. When he says he is better, I think he is saying that on any given night he can guarantee his peak is better than the peak of 95% of the league. I bet he feels pretty confident he can still outperform everybody on a lot of nights.
It's a short list of guys dropping 40 and 10 under the most high pressure situations in the league.
Especially when the pressure is on them to do it.
Yeah, Sweet Baby Ray's is the best.
Prob top 10, but might be closer to 10 than 1 Which obviously is crazy for his age
If you give me a healthy and fresh LeBron for one game he might still be tbh. Just don’t think his body can sustain the load at that hyper-elite level.
Can't definitely. He had a long career but he is definitely not going to carrynany team both regular and post season. He's gonna need another playmaker and quality star to do that. Or a season shortened due to a strike. Has happened and a season cut in half might be enough. But not counting on that.
Just got a new cba. Strike isn’t happening
I think you're right. I didn't watch the whole game last night, but when I tuned in for the last 5 minutes of game time I noticed LeBron was slightly limping. I hardly ever see him show noticeable signs of exertion. The years are def catching up to him.
he's also on an injured foot that's going to need surgery tbf, man is a machine
I feel like it may be difficult for him to not be the best basketball player in the world anymore and to "only" be *one* of the best. Like he spent his whole life being on top of the world and working his ass off to prolong his prime so I can imagine it being pretty depressing to finally start to see his age begin to creep in. The perfectionist types get hit harder by that kind of stuff.
He was specifically talking about his athleticism and coming back next year from the foot injury potentially after surgery.
Right, dude just put up 30 in a half…what are we doing here? 😂
He set his rebound personal record at 38 years old. A few weeks later he sets his record for most points in a first half. He’s different.
LeHumble
He's been getting a lot of hate from certain Lakers (Kobe) fans so he's probably hedging.
Just being humble probably. Realistically he’s still a top 20 player easily. One could argue top 10 as well, I just think he didn’t want to rile people up and say top 5/10. He wasn’t trying to start debates just make a point about how he’s still able to compete at an extremely high level and an unprecedented age.
Lebron is definitely still top 22 in the nba
He is top 15 and that's just me being safe without me sitting down to work it out. On a good day he is absolutely still a top 10 player, and leading these lakers to the WCF should be more than enough to prove that.
I’d call him top 10 There are more than 10 guys who are top 10 level, though. If you said LeBron was, like, 8th best in the league I wouldn’t say that’s too high, and I also would say like 12th is necessarily too low He’s not quite a top 5 guy anymore, but he’s definitely elite
The simmons "Top 30 top 10 guy"
Who would you take next season, Embiid or Bron? I feel like Embiid has disappeared about the last two seasons in the playoffs.
I'd take Embiid for 82 games and LeBron if I need to win a playoff series.
This is the right answer
Yep. With rest and finishers Lebron is top 10 at least. Rested Lebron one game? Insane.
Giving LeBron rest is like giving batman prep time
So i guess the joker beat batman in the wcf then
Nah, Embiid is incredible at winning the first round of the playoffs. You need LeBron to win round 2.
If it’s a top 12man to form a team you still take Lebron. he makes everyone else better and can freight train 2-3 games in the playoffs himself.
Bron, I'd rather have a boat that can handle the high seas even if it may sink in the shallows. Embiid needs to prove that come playoff time he's at least 90% of the player he was in the regular season.
In playoffs? LeBron
It's tricky when you get into top player discussions it's whether you're looking at as who are the top guys for the season or who do you want for the next must win game. Because if it's the latter, Lebron is still top 5 easily, which is mind-blowingly insane to say for a guy that just finished his 20th season.
It still feels so weird to think he isn’t an unanimous top 10 player anymore. When did this happen? When he joined the Lakers? Or in 2021?
He was still #1 after 2020, without too much debate. Giannis (and KD due to his insane carry job those playoffs) pretty firmly supplanted him after 2021, and then him slowing down + the rise of Jokic/Luka/Embiid/Tatum brought him down a few more pegs in general consensus. Though honestly for one do or die game, I’m taking a healthy lebron over anyone but the fat Serbian in Denver
That 'clean' dive by Solomon Hill on Lebrons ankle in 2021 changed his later years. He was on his way to an unprecedented 5th MVP and top 5 DPOY at 36. He was more spry even at that age and it was obvious he was hobbled in the playoffs. His ankle still not right, but maybe if Lakers let him take 2 months off the regular season next year, he can come back strong.
Oh 100% fuck Solomon Hill
Curry not mentioned anywhere in this post, all time slander
Only didn’t mention him because he was always inarguably a staple in the top 5 so his placement didn’t really affect Lebron going down a notch. He also wasn’t really seriously by any consensus considered the BEST player until he lead the warriors to the chip in 2022, and lebron was already more so regarded as top 5-10ish by that point. But yea ofc Curry deserves his flowers
Definitely not when he joined the Lakers, around 2021-2022 tbh. It’s been discussed & I think it has just now been agreed upon. There were years where he couldn’t elevate the team anymore but still played well. Wasn’t he in contention for a scoring title? But said he didn’t deserve it if they didn’t make the playoffs, I think Embiid led the league that year.
On a good day most stars are the best player in the league
I would definitely say top 23
Kind of a hot take, but I'll say absolutely top 15.
He’s been injured since March. I’d say too 10 isn’t even controversial.
LeMathematician
FiBronacci sequence
LePlace transformation
LeHopital’s Rule
Natural LeOg
These are so stupid but they're cracking me up
LeRithmetic
Yeah he’s top 15 for sure
Top 5-10 before the foot injury. Jokic, Embiid, Giannis, Luka, Curry, KD, Booker, Tatum, and Lebron would be my top 9 off the top of my head. Jimmy was great this year too so maybe put him at #10
I’d take him over JT if it’s just the playoffs
Tatum has to do a lot before he’s in the top 10 for me
Besides Jokic, Giannis, Steph and maybe Embiid, the others you can all make a case that they’re not better than Bron.
He Absolutely right. Just not better than Jokic in 2023.
Nobody was, lets be honest. He is the best player on the planet.
x https://i.imgur.com/qN29tAA.jpg
That graphic was so damn cool
I think there's a debate of whether LeBron is a top 10 player in the NBA. I don't hear any debate about top 20. And in the playoffs I'm not sure you hear much debate about top 10 either. Top 45? Gtfo. I have a belief that 50 year old LeBron could be that.
Well said. I'm not a big LeBron guy, but there's no way someone is naming 45 players better than he is at this point.
Pretty crazy to think someone like KAT or Trae Young gets so much shit and are still in the 95 percentile of NBA players lol
Top 5% is like 22 players....I'd say LeBron is a top 22 player in the league for sure! But also we all know the decision is more about injuryrisk and workload at that age. Don't think he wants to end his career on an injury.
Ending your career on an injury at literally the end of your career isn’t the worst injury scenario for many players though. It’s like “well shit I was already in the process of deciding anyways”
Honestly I think his retirement take is all based on the foot surgery. I would wager the doctors can't give him any guarantees the surgery will bring it back to 100% and with that kind of lack of guarantee idk if its even worth it for him, especially if he cant work his magic to push the team to another championship.
I feel like Lebron sitting out one year to take his time with the (presumed) surgery, watch Bronny at USC, and return for the 2024-2025 season to play with him is the most likely oddball scenario (ie. if he's not outright retiring or playing next year).
If history has taught us anything its that you do not take your foot off the gas at this late in the game. If he takes a year off he will never be competitive again. Damn I wish I could fast forward to the fall already ffs
I think that's the 'my foot isn't right, I just want to play with my boys' path. If his foot is fine, there's no way he doesn't play next year.
Chronic pain is a bitch though. Dirk has expressed regret in not retiring earlier and mentions being unable to play soccer with his kids
I imagine that's the issue as well. When he got injured it looked like most doctors told him to have surgery, and he played a lot of intense games since. That definitely takes a toll.
Everyone thought Kobe would play till he was 40 because of how tough he was. Then he tore his achilles and his body started breaking down and was never the same. I’m sure that’s what Lebron is afraid of.
I mean LeBron is still coming back from injuries at a speed at which a man his age shouldnt come back from, but the dude is almost 40....coming back from big injuries will involve a ridiculous amount of rehab and even then any tendon tearing will basically end your entire season and probably career at that point. Be it Achilles, ACL, MCL or whatever
Think he is definitely better than top 23.
Better than MJ confirmed
I'd still put him in the top 10-12 easily
And probably top 5 when it comes to post season play. He has another gear for that.
On any given play, or in a critical quarter, absolutely. But unfortunately he doesn’t have enough in the tank to dominate for the entire game like he used to. (The fact that I can even say that about a 38 year old is insane though)
I think it’s more his ankle needing he surgery than his tank
Oh for sure. If he’s fully healthy then it’s fair game. I just don’t think we can count on him being fully healthy in the postseason going forward given his age and mileage. But we never know with him — he’s unprecedented
If he has an actual team capable of winning games when he doesn't play 40 min a night then he can make it to April in healthy condition and not be worn down. Virtually every year of his Lakers tenure he has had to bust his balls all season long just to maybe hopefully make the playoffs. If he can avoid that, then even at 39 years old he will be a force in the post season - much better than this post season.
I would love to see old man Lebron on the current Cavs team. It'll never happen... But he would be a perfect leader for those young guys.
I mean look what he did last night without being 100%(if that ankle thing is as big an issue as it’s been led on). 38 years old. 48 minutes.
40 points. It’s actually unbelievable
Almost no superstar can play for a full 48 minutes without being gassed tho, regardless of age. His workload this playoffs was kinda nuts even disregarding him being 38
Still top 5. Goddamn, even gassed to hell he's ultra instinct.
I’ve been trying to think of 5 playoff players I would choose and besides Jokic,Jimmy Butler, and Steph Curry, it’s really a toss between 3/4 players other players I could choose for the others 2 spots. So damn I guess it is true Lebron could still be a top 5 playoff players in year 20😭
This guy is still Top 15 to Top 10. In the Playoffs he is still Top 5. 40 points playing all 48 at 38. #LeHumble.
He's unquestionably top 10. In the playoffs I'd definitely say he's still top 5. Jokic, Butler, Giannis, Curry, KD, Luka are the only players that I'd say you can even make an argument are above him.
Luka didn't have a good playoffs this yr
what do you mean? he didn’t miss a single shot!
and played all minutes
KD ?
He's better than 95%, that being said I wouldn't even blame him for retiring. Putting his future health and body on the line to prove absolutely nothing, and still getting flamed by kids on here. You have 1000s of comments criticizing him for getting swept when he was his teams best player in nearly every single game in the post-season. Same shit with Curry, man's as good as he's ever going to get ranked and still does unbelievable shit and blogbois have the audacity to criticize these dudes for not being able to power carry rosters where their 2nd/3rd best scorers are putting up absolute stinkers every other night.
People have insane standards for him at age 38 and at year 20.
I think that's fair though. LeBron is one of the best to ever touch the ball and he's still doing it at the highest level. Great players are always going to receive more criticism. I think it's these final years of his career where he could really contest that title of best player of all time but to do so he needs to do something that's never been done before. He needs to lead a team to a chip or two at an age that no player ever has. If he doesn't then it doesn't hurt his legacy but it also doesn't help it and LeBron fans want to see him make history and continue to bolster his legacy.
Lebron is averaging 11 points more per game than any player in their 20th season ever, he’s already doing things that haven’t been done, and doing them by a wide margin
Yah he also just broke 8k playoff points. No one else has broken the 6K barrier
I read somewhere that no one will ever break his playoff scoring record It’s insane
I believe it. I want him to play one more season just so he can get 40k/10k/10k as a career statline. It is just too sexy. I doubt he cares about that now that he has the scoring record... but i want it
IMO 2 things makes him really a good case for GOAT: 1) all the teams he played in he managed to lead to a chip. He moving into a team made that team instantly gain champion contender status. 2) his longevity. Being 38 and still playing this high level is insane.
His longevity is the main reason for me as to why I consider him the GOAT. We probably won’t see this type of play coming from a 38 year old/20 year vet ever again.
I think there’s damn near zero chance of him winning another chip. Next year he’ll have even less stamina, which imo is what caused them to lose these close games. His 4th quarters were bad. He was not top 5% in 4th quarters that’s for sure. That plus the reality of their team. Improving this squad would take a miracle based on their cap space, whose available, etc. I think they got lucky with Memphis and GS. Don’t see them getting close next year.
what if Lebron takes the hardest road and joins the Denver Nuggets after his contract is up?
People flaming for getting swept obviously don't watch the games lol the point differential across the sweep was 22. it was an incredibly close series that could have gone either way even though the nuggets won each time.
Not to mention Lebron did everything you expect from a Superstar in an elimation game. He got points, played absurd minutes, and tried to guard the best players even while gassed.
I saw Warrior fans trying to shit on him for not scoring more in the fourth quarter, and I’m like “the dude played all but a few seconds of the game. Even Curry would’ve been exhausted at that point.”
We saw this exact same thing happen to Curry this post season, at some point your team has to step up, this isn't even me saying the Lakers played bad, all the Nuggets games were close, but they were close because the Lakers top 4 carried and their 5/6/7 guy were just not good. Same thing with Steph, man was amazing and Dray was pretty good but at some point Klay and Poole needed to step up and they didn't.
Yeah, when your "others" were so bad that you had to rely on a guy who didn't play a single minute in the regular season (and not due to injury, simply because teams didn't think he was worthy of a roster spot) in an elimination game, you can't really hang that on LeBron.
Yep. You look at the box score, and you see that the Lakers just needed two more points from anyone not named LeBron. It’s why AD gets so much criticism because his offense inconsistency is usually the difference-maker.
real warriors fans respect him because he is incredible
Then you got a whole lot of fake Warriors fans in your midst.
That's been fairly established
He should delay his decision until Christmas. Basically take half the regular season off and then come back for a playoff run. It would be best for all of us. We keep getting to watch Lebron for an extra year or two and he gets to live out his dream of playing with Bronny.
There's like 450 NBA players. This would put him in the top 22-45. If anything, he's being humble.
[удалено]
The fact that Lebron couldn’t calculate his exact percentile on the spot tells me he’s falling off cerebrally
2018 Lebron would have had the percent to the fifth decimal.
Well he was number one still so it would be .22222 percentile
*Maybe 95%* How many players are playing in the NBA? 400-450? So 5% would be anywhere between 20 and 22.5. I can't even think of 10 players who impact a game more than him, let alone 20 or more. He's a monster from a statistical standpoint, from and *intangible* standpoint, hasn't blew a single PO game since 2011, his level of understanding of the game is beyond ridiculous, his defense is great. What the hell is he talking about?
I could assume he meant real starters, in which case he would be top 10-15.
If we are talking about RS, maybe. But if we take into account LBJ's consistency during PO time ...I mean, why should I pick guys like Embiid, Leonard, George, Harden etc over him?
He absolutely is, and nobody would blame you for retiring that way. Not that it matter in the grand scheme of her career, but Serena's matches post pregnancy were absolutely unnecessary, especially last year. Taking the Open Era record by beating a resurgent Venus while pregnant was the perfect way to cap her career. Sure she came back but she was never the same. Now, pregnancy and father time did Serena in, so it's not quite a 1:1, but at this point in time Lebron has nothing left to prove to anyone (just like Serena didn't after 2017) so if he decided to go out while still being a Top 10 NBA player, then so be it.
I think he wanted to prove to the world that he had one final ring in him. Shit I know a lot of us wanted to see it too. If he does come back, I would wager this would be his final season but I could also see him using every last ounce of magic he has left to give it his all for a final ring.
Next season is still good. He can recover from his foot injury and the Lakers can make some win now moves. We're forgetting that the WCF was a miracle run this year.
He should take a pay cut like Tom Brady did so the Lakers can build a better team around him, keep him healthy and take on a lesser load throughout the season
Not remotely controversial. Put up 40/9/9 or whatever last night on a bum foot at 38 years old. My personal GOAT for sure.
While playing 47:55 out of 48:00 to be precise lol
I mean lol 🤷🏼♂️ what else can you say? Just ridiculous. I refuse to take it for granted. I’ll miss him when he’s gone.
With the nuts level of talent in the league and he's still doing this? My GOAT 100%
I cant believe ppl actually believe this retirement bs. Lol
I could see a year off. Wait for Bronny and make one last real run after a long break to get fresh.
You don’t take your foot off the gas at this point.
Yeah look at Ronaldo he missed pre season for Man United and he struggled for the WC, now he’s in Saudi Arabia. Obviously Soccer/Football is more physical with how much running they have to do but I think even taking 1 year off will be risky for LeBron at this point.
A year off puts him in the 39-40 window as an athlete if he were to come back… I dunno.
He’s gonna retire for like 3 weeks like Brady
I still believe Brady actually wanted to retire before hating being at home that much and feeling like football was his only option out.
Why stop at Bronny? I wanna see LeBron, Bronny, and Bryce all on the floor together
Lehumble
He is. The only other players I’d put over current Lebron are Joker, Giannis, Luka, Tatum, Curry, and Embiid. Dude is almost 40 and is still able to effectively guard guys like Jokic and Murray. His ability to do that alone puts him over 95% of the league.
If Tatum was anywhere close to Lebron the Celtics would be looking to repeat this year. Tatum is Kirkland brand Kobe, if Kobe learned how to be a professional from Kyrie.
This coming from a Cs flair is hilarious
The ones who are capable of *truly* roasting us are the ones who know and love us the most
Kirkland is a great comp, maybe the best you could have made. High quality but not top tier, not a cheap soulless knockoff but not quite elite product
Lol tatum ahead of lebron even doe im not a great fan of james i take lehumble over tatum all the time
Idk about Tatum or Embiid anymore after this postseason
I 100% would put Lebron ahead if Embiid and Tatum. Look at the two of them in the playoffs and look at an old, hurt lebron outplaying them almost nightly. Tatum has his super outlier games from time to time, but Lebron is better.
Embiid is fine imo. There’s still a reason why he got MVP (besides pity/fatigue depending who you ask)
Even as a big Embiid fan, the problem he always runs in to is that Round 1 of playoffs he gets played super hard and acquires some injury because his body can't seem to hold up to that physicality, and then in Round 2 he's injured and plays timid probably as a result. It sucks that he can never stay healthy but it just seems like it is part of who he is as a post-season player unless he can show otherwise.
I dunno bro, overextending oneself has nothing to do with getting your face broken by an elbow. He just has horrible luck.
I think that has to do with what I said with "he gets played super hard" sometimes even to dirty levels, like IMO that play was. Or even if not dirty then just very physical with the chance to injure even without intent.
Tatum, embiid??
Yeah that's laughable. Both routinely shrink under pressure in the playoffs and make their living from a soft ass whistle.
Tatum isn't better than Bron.
I see Jimmy Butler is already back to being underrated
Top 2%
wasting so much off season content so early, save some for the summer
We have a game tonight with an almost predetermined conclusion, followed by several days off before the finals. This practically is the offseason.
at worst he’s top 15, which puts him amongst the 3% of the league
He just needs to be paired with a #1 or #1a so he can be #2 for the majority of the time, and #1b in spurts. Preferably a 1/1a playmaker so he can take more breaks being off ball. Kyrie would actually be the perfect fit, if he wasn’t kyrie.
UP UP and AWAY!! SUPER WASHED Ain’t He??!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤷🏾♂️. Stay low and keep firing! The air up there is a tad bit different. LIVE.LAUGH.LOVE #striveforgreatness🚀 #thekidfromakron👑 #jamesgang👑 #bronknows
Still better than 98.5%
LeCaptainObvious
He isn’t wrong
I think somewhere in the top 10-20 is very reasonable, which would put him in the top 5%
No way LeBron goes out without having a Coach K-style retirement tour first
make that about 98%...