As the years go on, there’s been one common discussion, is LeBron James better than [insert NBA Hall of Famer Here]? Whether it’s Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Steph Curry, and more, many will argue that LeBron isn’t, simply because he hasn’t won as many NBA Finals as Jordan, or they falsely assume he hasn’t beat the best players like Jordan did. With the news of his groin injury breaking over the weekend, this is the best time to prove why LeBron James is the G.O.A.T of Basketball.
- Scoring
Not only is LeBron the all-time NBA scoring leader, he’s the only one who has ever been even remotely close to 50,000 total points (incl. Playoffs), but he’s already passed that insane milestone.
The list of the NBA’s top scorers are as follows.
As of 3/7/25
- LeBron James – 50,064
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – 44,149 (5,915 behind James)
- Karl Malone – 41,689 (8,375 behind James)
- Kobe Bryant – 39,283 (10,781 behind James)
- Michael Jordan – 38,279 (11,785 behind James)
Notice how Jordan has four players above him. Some will argue that this is because Jordan had less time than LeBron in the league. Jordan played for 15 seasons, and famously took a break in 1993-94, and retired after the 1997-98 season, but came back to play for the Washington Wizards from 2001-2003.
- Longevity
It’s no secret that LeBron has been in the NBA for a long time. The 2024-25 season is year 22 for him. He is the only father to play in the same game on the same team, as this season he played with LeBron “Bronny” James Jr. for a few games. “The Kid from Akron” has been on the hardwood so long that his own kid, from Akron, is playing with him. LeBron is tied with Vince Carter for most seasons played, at 22. Should he continue playing into next season, he’ll have yet another record in his collection.
- Popularity
LeBron James is certainly one of, if not the most popular NBA player not just of his era, but of all time. Not many athletes can say that people will recognize them only by their first name. LeBron and Shaquille O’Neal share this trait. LeBron’s jerseys from Cleveland, Miami, and Los Angeles combine for one of the highest numbers of total selling jerseys in NBA history. If you go on social media platforms like TikTok or Instagram, you WILL see something LeBron-related. I even asked two of my friends in my health class who the first NBA player they could think of were. Both of them answered the same name. LeBron James.
The further his career goes on, the more my argument will gain traction and factual evidence. All of these reasons are why LeBron James is the G.O.A.T of not only the NBA, but all of basketball.
