LeBron: 'I'm going to be one of the top four that's ever played this game'
Two consecutive NBA championships, four MVP honors, two Finals MVP awards, seven All NBA First-Team selections, five appearances on the NBA All Defensive Team, and 10 All-Star Game selections.
LeBron James, ladies and gentlemen.
As he continues to build a case for being one of the greatest players in the game's history, James has no doubts that he'll be one of the "top four" ever by the time his career comes to an end.
"I'm going to be one of the top four that's ever played this game, for sure," said James in an interview that will air on NBA TV on Monday. "And if they don't want me to have one of those top four spots, they'd better find another spot on that mountain. Somebody's gotta get bumped, but that's not for me to decide. That's for the architects."
So who's getting bumped?
According to the reigning NBA MVP, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, and Michael Johnson are the "easy three" and he listed Oscar Robertson as his fourth choice after some deliberation. Sorry, Kobe Bryant.
The argument is of course a subjective one, but here are some of James' career stats compared to those of the players he named.
| PLAYER | GP | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | PER | WS/48 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LeBron James | 814 | 27.5 | 7.2 | 6.9 | 1.4 | 0.495 | 0.338 | 0.755 | 27.7 | 0.242 |
| Michael Jordan | 1072 | 30.1 | 6.2 | 5.3 | 2.3 | 0.497 | 0.327 | 0.835 | 27.9 | 0.25 |
| Larry Bird | 897 | 24.3 | 10 | 6.3 | 1.7 | 0.496 | 0.376 | 0.886 | 23.5 | 0.203 |
| Magic Johnson | 906 | 19.5 | 7.2 | 11.2 | 1.9 | 0.52 | 0.303 | 0.848 | 24.1 | 0.225 |
| Oscar Robertson | 1040 | 25.7 | 7.5 | 9.5 | 1.1 | 0.485 | N/A | 0.838 | 23.2 | 0.207 |
Again, the argument is subjective, and the above chart excludes endless ways of comparing NBA careers. But of the four players LeBron is attempting is dethrone, Robertson's numbers appear to make him the most vulnerable.