When I think about the direction of the NBA I am left wondering who will take over the league once LeBron James retires? I would predict it’s either Luka Doncic,Emoni Bates, or Zion Williamson with a slight edge for Luka Doncic since he is the most complete basketball player I’ve ever seen from an offensive stand point. On to someone who has not only been an offensive force but also a defensive force in the NBA his whole career LeBron James and although he will be 37 years of age December he is still the best pound for pound basketball player in the NBA.
While LeBron James has received criticism for leaving the team that drafted him for greener pastures and taking what most say the easy way to championships unlike their childhood hero Michael Jordan we can’t deny the sustained level of dominance LeBron James has had in the league. Say what you want about him stacking the deck in the Eastern Conference the man could not be eliminated for 8 straight seasons and was a one man wrecking crew carrying his teams to Finals Appearances year after year. Yes he lost 5 times within that 8 year span but how many of those losses can we really blame him for aside from 2011 against the Dallas Mavericks?
I’ve seen countless content creators over the internet use LeBron’s name to get noticed and let’s face it Skip Bayless would not be as famous as he currently is without constantly criticizing LeBron’s every move in order to keep Jordan’s legacy alive. I’m sure Jordan fans felt like I will years from now when LeBron retires, I quit watching WWE the moment Stone Cold Steve Austin retired as well it happens. There is always that one sports figure you grow up watching in awe and for me it’s been LeBron James. I grew up through Jordan’s 2nd 3-peat so I missed out on a good portion of his basketball career but I once held 3 VCR tapes of Michael Jordan and I got an idea for who he was, it was like he was a mystic human being and no one was more popular than Michael Jordan in the 90’s not even Bill Clinton or George Bush.
LeBron? I am living in the present and he might not be as popular as MJ was since it’s a different time now and technology is at an all-time high now but he is the most breathtaking athlete I’ve ever seen. Yes more than Bo Jackson,Michael Jordan,Usain Bolt, and Michael Phelps. The speed,power,agility,and skill level I saw from LeBron on the basketball court in the late 2000’s was just ridiculous it’s like he was a living cheat code with everything on 99 on NBA 2k. The elevation on tomahawk dunks, the speed at which he dribbled end to end on fastbreaks,the graceful finishes, the pin point rifle passes, the power dribbling at the top of the key and bull dozing drives finishing through traffic, never seen anything like it I never got that same feeling watching Jordan in a game.
To conclude my passion for the game will never change. I grew up a Allan Houston fan as a kid when he played for the New York Knicks and when he blew out his knee after receiving that massive 5 year $120 million dollar extension I thought it was over for me and the NBA until I witnessed LeBron put on a clinic against the Detroit Pistons 2007 scoring the last 25 points for the Cleveland Cavaliers on his way to his first NBA Finals at 22 years of age. It was then when LeBron took over the NBA or when he was right on Kobe’s tail, and here we are 14 years later and he is still at the top. To all the LeBron doubters, when he finally calls it quits even though you’ll never admit it you know he’ll be the best to ever lace em up. The NBA has their work cut out for them when LeBron leaves the game, we are all witnesses.
D-NBA 