The GOAT Debate pops up once or twice every season and it has turned into a norm for the NBA fans to get going in a dull period. Many players have achieved great things in the NBA and have taken the league to a much higher level by gracing their presence. Some have shattered records whereas others have changed the game for generations to come. So in this era of multiple great players, it is difficult to judge who can emerge as the GOAT among several great talents.
However, the basic GOAT debate happens mostly between LeBron James and Michael Jordan. Both the players have been trailblazers in their generations in the NBA and have achieved incredible feats to enter the GOAT Debate.
When it comes to the NBA, both Jordan and James have been absolute legends of the game. They proved to the world that they can inspire teams to win titles and be great assets to their franchises. Overall it was their impact that changed games. However, there are arguments against each of them beating the other player.
One argument that is often raised against the Akron Hammer is his inability to win most of the NBA finals that he has been a part of. However, surprisingly analyst Emmanuel Acho feels that it is one of the best achievements of Lebron James.
On a recent episode of ‘Speak for Yourself, former NFL player and analyst Emmanuel Acho feels that LeBron is the greatest for his comeback in 2016. While it was one of the best moments in sports history Acho feels there is something greater in LeBron’s career than that. He feels that the Akron Hammer reaching nine finals in ten years makes him the GOAT for the unreal tenacity and dominance. Acho feels that to be the biggest highlight of his career than the 3-1 comeback in the finals.
Sharing his thought process, Acho explained, “LeBron James did become the GOAT but it wasn’t in 2016. The most impressive athletic feat maybe in American sports history is not LeBron James coming back from down 3-1, it’s not even Tom Brady’s seven super bowls, it’s not Michael Jordan going six for six. It is LeBron James going to the NBA finals nine times in ten years.” Acho continues saying, “The problem we have with the NBA, the NFL, the NHL, the MLB is, in our society we only pay respect to who wins and we disregard every other place. We treat the second place like 99th place.”
Over the years LeBron James not winning enough finals have always been called out or used against him. But he feels that reaching the NBA finals in itself is also a huge achievement and to do it so consistently deserves credit. While Jordan’s 6-0 in the finals is still inhuman, LeBron is not too far away with his statistics.
However this season the story is very different for King James. The Lakers have not been at their best and with players out with injury problems it falls once again on LeBron James to see them off to the playoffs. The Lakers are currently ninth in the Western Conference with a record of 27-31 and they will need a push in the business end of the season to get into the postseason.
