Not to take away his rings in Miami and LA, but it seems to be accepted by most people that the 2016 championship was the most important title that LeBron won (legacy wise), since Cleveland was a much smaller market and it was his hometown team. My question is, if the Cavs lost 4 years in a row to the Warriors, and LeBron left Cleveland again ringless, would there still be a strong argument for him to be 2nd all time?
To me? Yes.
General opinion? Nope.
We don’t value a player putting up stats and being the best player if he doesn’t win it all… though it’s hard to say who’s above him. But probably some Lakers player.
Obviously not, losing your greatest achievement is going to damage your resume in some way or form. Although, he would still be widely considered top 5 purely off his stats/longevity.
I feel like back in 2014-2015 he was already regarded as #2 all time so I think that would’ve continued to hold true till today.
He has no case
That might be a reason to consider him second all time, but it didn’t happen that way, so he’s not second
Yes. If players weren’t as good as they were and accomplished less they would be viewed as less accomplished players.
Eh, LeBron could be just as good as he is, and uncontrollable circumstances cause him to lose that finals and it would drastically change his perception
The 2016 ring and 3-1 comeback are the bedrock of his all-time case. Lebron fans might still have him #2 but that ring makes even Lebron haters have to acknowledge his greatness.
that one cleveland title was like a 3peat for most other players
To fanboys maybe. Everyone else would see this as the ridiculous statement it is.
that ring is worth way more than your average ring, it shot up lebron from top 5-10, to a genuine goat candidate
I already had him as 2nd best. His success in Cleveland and Los Angeles made him #1 for me
he just simply impacts the floor more than any other player ever, his 2nd cleveland stint was legendary
That title made him the goat. Coming back from 3-1 against the greatest team of all time (record wise) is the biggest accomplishment in NBA history.
He’s easily #1 rn but without that title he’d be #2
He’d still be #1 all time imo.
He’s the greatest player of all time. :)