Who is the G.O.A.T - NBA Edition Part 1

 

LeBron James

As sports fans we tend to find ourselves discussing who the greatest of all time is. The truth is in some ways it's a very open ended opinionated question. The reality is we all have our own favorites in different generations that make this a difficult choice to pick. This is the first of my list of  anywhere from 5-10 players that I'm going to break down everything and pitch a case for each individual. At the end, the choice based on overall criteria and rankings will determine for me who is the G.O.A.T. The current active player in the discussion LeBron James will be up first.

Current Ranks

Regular Season 

Games Played -100th with 1033 games
Minutes Played - 32nd with 40204 minutes
3-Pt Field Goals - 27th with 1419 3-Pt field goals
Field Goals - 14th with 10128 field goals
Total Rebounds - 82nd with 7433 rebounds
Assists - 14th with 7210 assists
Steals - 21st with 1723 steals
Points - 8th with 28020 points

Playoffs

Games Played - 9th with 199 games
Minutes Played - 4th with 8383 minutes
3-Pt Field Goals - 5th with 287 3-Pt field goals
Field Goals - 6th with 1965 field goals
Total Rebounds - 9th with 1758 rebounds
Assists - 3rd with 1348 assists
Steals - 4th with 354 steals
Points - 4th with 5572 points

Accolades

7 NBA Finals appearances 
6 straight NBA Finals apperances
3x NBA Finals MVP
4x NBA MVP
13x NBA All-Star
2x NBA All-Star Game MVP
10x All-NBA First Team
2x All-NBA Second Team
5x All-Defensive First Team
NBA Rookie of the Year
2x AP Athlete of the Year
2x Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year
3x Olympic Medalist




 
The King's stats stack up with the best in the game at age 32. Currently he is still playing at a high level so the G.O.A.T status will continue to rise. Some other facts that are not stat based aren't seen on these lists. LeBron has been to 6 straight NBA Finals, which in this era just doesn't happen. When LeBron left for Miami, the Cleveland Cavaliers were bad until he got back. When LeBron left for Cleveland, the Miami Heat were bad and missed the playoffs. Those two things help separate him from some of the other players on the list. The facts are he makes his team much better and without him they are just an okay team. For example, when MJ left the Bulls they were still a playoff team. Another factor in the chase for the label as G.O.A.T, the NBA has never seen anyone with the combination of size, agility, strength, passing ability, rebounding, and 3-Pt shooting. At 32 years old, The King hasn't slowed down yet so he is still currently moving his way up the statistical and historical leader boards. As of today, where does King James rank?