Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has been a phenomenal scorer throughout his lengthy stint in the NBA. James has one scoring title and is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.
He’s also quite the accomplished player on the defensive end of the floor. He has been named All-Defense six times and finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting in two separate seasons.
But former Orlando Magic and Houston Rockets star Tracy McGrady seemingly doesn’t think James is the type of player who would do well in one-on-one battles against NBA players.
According to McGrady, James would get “crushed” playing one-on-one versus other players in the league, as he claimed that the 40-year-old’s game is “naturally built for five-on-five.”
“I think LeBron has been amazing for 22 freaking years,” McGrady said. “And he’s been the best basketball player for, you know, God knows how long. But if you put him in one-on-one? I think he’ll get crushed. Yeah, I think he’ll get crushed — amongst guys that are actually in the NBA. And I’m sure LeBron would tell you that. Because his game is naturally built for five-on-five. He’s not a one-on-one basketball player. Kobe [Bryant] is a one-on-one basketball player. Kyrie [Irving] is a one-on-one basketball player. James Harden — these guys are one-on-one basketball players. And LeBron can’t do anything with that. So I don’t know. I just know — we always name the big-name guys, but there are some guys out there that you don’t think about, that really can play one-on-one basketball.”
Lakers guard Austin Reaves has been on record saying that James doesn’t play one-on-one basketball because the forward thinks it’s “not real basketball.”
McGrady’s argument leaves some room for debate. While James is a consummate team player, he’s also certainly proven that he can take over games with isolation scoring when need be. Even in his 22nd season in the league, plenty of his made baskets have been self-generated.
A whopping 55.5 percent of his made field goals so far in the 2024-25 campaign have not been assisted on, and he has remained one of the league’s premier scorers at his advanced age. His scoring average of 24.4 points per game this season is the 11th-highest in the league.
The fact that James is still consistently lighting up the scoreboard at 40 years old is a testament to his unparalleled longevity. It’s safe to claim that James is enjoying the most productive 22nd NBA season of any player in the history of the league, as former NBA star Vince Carter is the only other player to log as many seasons in the league.
James will try to put together a strong showing when the Lakers play the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night in what will be L.A.’s first game in a few days.
The Warriors have picked up victories in every one of their last three contests and sit as the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference at the moment with a record of 44-31. Golden State is also just two games back of the No. 4 seed Denver Nuggets in the standings. Meanwhile, the Lakers are the No. 3 seed by percentage points.
