Austin Reaves has put his flag in the LeBron James camp for the NBA GOAT debate.
The GOAT debate will rage on in basketball as long as fans have a modicum of interest in the sport. Very few sports allow you to crown one single player as the greatest, and basketball is one of them. For years, the answer was Michael Jordan but now many people cite LeBron James as the greatest in the sport’s history.
Austin Reaves Says LeBron James Is The Greatest Player In NBA History
Lakers teammate Austin Reaves has taken LeBron’s side in the debate, openly declaring James as the greatest to ever play the game in his opinion.
“Yeah, why not? You know, he came to LA at a time where you know, wasn’t having much success and what was it two-three years, you know, put a banner in the rafter, so why not? I mean, in my opinion, he’s the greatest player to ever play the game.”
Reaves has seen James work firsthand and cannot ignore the impact LeBron has had in his development from undrafted rookie to playing for Team USA. They have a fantastic relationship, so Reaves was anyway bound to start carrying the flag for Team LeBron in this debate.
Reaves ended the season by averaging 16.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game in the 2023 Playoffs.
Has LeBron James Done Enough To Outrank Michael Jordan?
Someone with the opinion that LeBron is greater than Jordan cannot be dismissed. James has put together unmatched longevity we have never seen in the league. Jordan had an incredible prime but his constant retirements meant that he would never achieve what James did with consistency over 20 played seasons in the NBA.
Longevity is LeBron’s biggest argument, but what Jordan achieved in his prime years makes me give the Bulls legend the edge. The 10 scoring titles, six Finals MVPs and championships, along with winning Defensive Player of the Year shows that MJ was arguably the most dominant non-7-footer the game has seen. The comparison between the two is always fascinating regardless.
LBJ is still adding to his list of accolades, with a fifth championship being the priority in the 2023-24 season.
