In recent years, basketball fans have debated whether LeBron James has surpassed Michael Jordan as the greatest NBA player ever.
The debate intensified when ESPN began airing the documentary series “The Last Dance” last month.
Teammate Jared Dudley was asked if the Los Angeles Lakers superstar thinks he is indeed the greatest player of all time.
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“For sure,” Dudley responded. “I think Kobe [Bryant] thought that too. To be honest with you, I think that you have to think that way.”
Dudley then put James’ success into perspective.
“The man came in at 18 years old as the most hyped player ever,” he said. “We would all say he’s not only lived up to it, he’s surpassed it.”
In December 2018, in his miniseries “More Than an Athlete,” James said that overcoming a 3-1 deficit in the 2016 NBA Finals against the 73-win Golden State Warriors made him the greatest player of all time.
Even if James still falls short in this debate in the eyes of many, his career is far from over.
He has amazed many by continuing to play at an elite level in his 17th season despite having tons of mileage from his deep playoff runs throughout the years.
If the 2019-20 season resumes, the Akron, Ohio native will have the opportunity to eliminate even more doubt that he is the greatest player the NBA has ever seen.
If he were to win his fourth NBA title, there’s no doubt that some would decide to put James atop their list of greatest players ever.
