April 2021 – LeBron James is a generational basketball player. He revolutionized the sport of basketball and completely changed the way that we play basketball. The city of Cleveland is very, very lucky to have drafted him.

Here’s why.

We can get to all of the awards later, but I think that it is remarkable that he did what he did at such a young age. King James was an 18-year old basketball player that completely changed a city and country. The Cleveland Cavaliers were the worst franchise in 2003, and because of that, they had the number one pick. I personally think that teams started tanking in the future, hoping that they could pick their “chosen one.” He went to high school in Akron and went straight to the NBA. People had high expectations for him, and, no doubt in my mind, he achieved them.

Now, we never got to see LeBron vs. Jordan because Jordan retired the year before. A little bit about Michael Jordan; he was the amazing player before LeBron. When Jordan played, the stars were mostly the tall, big centers. There was a ton of physicality involved and Jordan accepted that. He fought through that and just played his game. LeBron did much of the same. Not as much in his earlier years, but around the 2010’s more and more people were shooting 3-pointers. LeBron wasn’t as good as Jordan at shooting 3s, but he knew the game style that he had to play; drive and bully everyone in the paint. More and more people were shooting 3s, yet James could out-muscle guards, and out-maneuver forwards. He was just unique.

One thing that I think LeBron did really well in his career was his defense. It goes a little bit unnoticed because of how well he can score, but his defense is very, very good. He has six all-defensive teams. That means that six years of his career, he was voted one of the best five defenders in the entire league by the media and coaches. Doing that is difficult enough, and he can score at will too. That is a great asset to his game.

Another thing that Lebron does so well is that he makes all of his teammates around him better. I know Jordan did some of the same thing, but Lebron is a better passer, he gets his teammates involved more, and he trusts them. I think that is the greatest attribute. All of the awards are amazing, but the ability to make your teammates makes you a legend. In conclusion, I think that LeBron James is the best basketball player ever because he is a great defender, makes his teammates better, and can score at will. Michael Jordan is an amazing basketball player, but in my opinion LeBron James is better.

(A quick disclaimer: This isn’t intended to show what Jordan did wrong. Both sides have a great argument for their player. This is just why I think that LeBron James is better than Michael Jordan.)