LeBron James will go down as one of the most talented players in NBA history, even if he never wins another NBA Championship. His skill level on both ends of the floor rival the greats of all time, and putting stats into play ranks him easily as a top 5 player among the greats, even over active names like Kobe Bryant.
But when it comes to compiling a greatest players of all-time list, LeBron James won’t even crack the top 10. That isn’t hyperbole, and that isn’t a shot against the most exciting prospect to come into the NBA in years. It’s a realistic point of view from a purist’s standpoint, and the same logic that the HOF voters use.
When James does retire and moonwalks into the Hall of Fame, unless he finishes with 4 rings then he is all but guaranteed to be one of the most conflicting superstars in NBA history.
Not only won’t he finish with less than 5 rings, but he also won’t ever get above .500 in the NBA Finals.
Currently LeBron has a record of 2 wins in 6 finals appearances, which is a paltry percentage of 33% and one of the worst among any of the legends. It would be unfair to compare him to Michael Jordan who is a perfect 6 for 6 in the Finals, so let’s go down the line to get a better understanding of why LeBron will never be a real top 10 HOF despite his incredible talents.
Kobe Bryant
The true heir to the Jordan legacy and soon to be retired Laker is everything James was supposed to be, and unfortunately a dying breed. Besides playing for the same team his entire career, Kobe Bryant is the only player not named Jordan to have such a huge cultural impact outside of the sport. This includes internationally where he is as big of an icon as James, and even in retirement will consider to outsell him in jersey sales. With LeBron jumping teams so frequently he has never been able to cement his customer base like Kobe, and unfortunately after Kobe goes it will probably end the era of players of Bryant’s type. Kobe’s record in the Finals? 5 of 7 for a winning percentage of 71%
Tim Duncan
The often forgotten big man that will probably go down as the most underrated player of all time is an incredible 5 of 6 with a winning percentage of 83%. Duncan is almost 40 years old and is the only old school player of note that played head to head against James in the Finals. Kevin Garnett doesn’t count in this equation since he has only 1 ring, and did it with the Boston Celtics rather than his original team. Duncan is 1-1 against James in the Finals, with the most recent victory in 2014 being a merciless beat-down in which James was outplayed by wide eyed Kawhi Leonard. Apparently Leonard was so coached up by Gregg Popovich that he forgot he was playing against the best player in the world. Barring a Ray Allen miracle play in 2013, LeBron could easily be 1-6 in the Finals while Duncan would be a Jordan-esque 6 of 6.
Shaquille O’Neal
For everyone that thinks LeBron was the first player to be a team jumper, then here is probably one of the more infamous ones of note; Shaquille O’Neal. He is a 4 time NBA Champion with a record of 4-6 which brings his percentage to 66%, double that of LeBron’s. He is also a player that redfined the center position and became almost as big an icon as Kobe. Even now in retirement, Shaq has had and continues to have a bigger impact culturally than LeBron James- and he’s just an announcer now! Remember when Shaq was a rapper? Or How about when he was a movie star? Anyone play his Shaq-Fu game? If the basketball Gods didn’t erase Nick Anderson’s memory on how to hit a free throw, then who knows how many rings O’Neal would have?
David Robinson
Remember this guy? One of the greatest players of all time can quickly be forgotten in the post Duncan era. Don’t forget that it was with Robinson that the twin towers were created, and made the most dominant frontcourt in NBA history. Robinson’s record? A perfect 2 for 2.
Hakeem Olajuwan
Part of the original twin towers with Ralph Sampson, possibly the most talented center of all time had to wait like the rest of the league for Jordan to retire in order to get his first championship. Even though it didn’t come with Sampson, Hakeem had the help of Clyde Drexler to bring home back to back NBA championships. What’s so amazing about this feat is that he embarrassed HOF’s Patrick Ewing and Shaquille O’Neal on his way to winning his championships. The Dream is 2-3 for a winning percentage of 66% in the Finals. Considering that LeBron has been beating in Finals match ups with Andre Iguodala and an unproven Kawhi Leonard, it really puts things into perspective for LeBron apologists.
Summarizing the rest of the list would be Clyde Drexler (2-4 50%), Isiah Thomas (2-3 66%), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (6-10 60%), Larry Bird (3-4 75%) and Magic Johnson (5-9 55%). This isn’t even including older greats like Bill Russell or John Havlicek. And in ironic fashion, former teammate Dwyane Wade has 3 rings, 1 more than LeBron.
King James may be the most talented player in NBA history, but at the age of 30 his time is slowly coming to an end to finish his own story.