LeBron James is once again an NBA champion. This is his fourth NBA title and this one was unlike anything we've ever seen. He's now won a title with three different franchises. This was his year 17 season. That is all insane. Another thing that is truly crazy is the fact that people thought this would somehow settle the Michael Jordan and LeBron debate. Like it would suddenly go away or either side would just concede. If anything, this is going to make people dig in even more. LeBron has even more ammo for his career now. He just won a title with the Lakers and won yet another Finals MVP award. He's now legitimately in striking distance of MJ and those six titles. Will he be able to get there? We'll have to see, but he's closer than ever and on a pretty damn good Lakers team.
Of course, MJ stans will just yell that he never lost in the Finals and the game was so much tougher during that era. And they should. This is not meant to take anything away from anybody. Jordan is very obviously one of the greats and to many the greatest. This is one of those things where people probably will never change their mind and that's ok.
For me, a 31-year-old NBA fan from Cleveland who has watched LeBron James since high school, I just want to give me two cents. And that's that LeBron James is the best basketball player I've ever seen play the game. I'm biased. That's fine. He's the greatest of all-time in my book. You can't change my mind. Yes, I was too young to truly appreciate MJ during that moment, but I've seen everything he's done. His game-winner against the Jazz is my first real NBA memory. As we saw in The Last Dance, MJ was different. If you think Jordan is the greatest ever, that's fine. It's completely your opinion and right to do so. Like I said, this debate isn't going away.
But when you look at what LeBron James has done and been able to consistently do during an era where the skill level of the average player is so damn high, you just have to sit back and appreciate the greatness. And I think that's the biggest reason I wanted to write this. I hope people can truly appreciate just how great LeBron is while it's happening. We don't have to wait until LeBron retires to realize and talk about how great he is. We're talking about a player who from the moment he was drafted there were comparisons to Michael Jordan. And what did he do? He exceeded the hype in every way imaginable. Yet whenever LeBron has reached a new milestone, there's always just chatter about Jordan. The constant back and forth of the debate that will truly never end. And why would it? It's theater. It's a performance tool for many. It drives talking points. And all of that is fine, but let's not use to to diminish what LeBron James is doing here and now.
We've held LeBron to such a high standard and he's hit the mark time and time again. So instead of complaining about the fact that some just might not truly ever appreciate what LeBron has brought to the game, I'm going to sit back and bask in the greatness. The greatness that is four NBA titles and one of the most storied careers in league history. LeBron isn't going to play forever. He continues to defy the odds, but why should we wait to give him his flowers? Why can't we appreciate greatness in real time? LeBron James has provided some of the most memorable moments in sports history and for that, we're truly lucky. It's up to you if you want to appreciate it right now or not. I'd advise you realize just how special LeBron James is to the game of basketball and the world. I know I am.
