The National Basketball Association, founded in 1946, has been graced with many players who can hold up in an argument for greatness. However, when it comes to the largest barber-shop debate, who is the greatest of all time, only 3 players truly have the ability to stay in the conversation.
Kobe Bryant: Known to many as the "Black Mamba," the argument for Kobe Bryant's impact is definitely a prevalent one. Drafted 13th overall to the Hornets and later traded to the Lakers, Kobe Bryant quickly made a name for himself, making the All-Star game as a rookie. As his career went on, Kobe, partnered with Shaquille O'Neil, racked up one of the most dominating three peats in NBA history. Following that, back in 2008-2010, Kobe led another back-to-back campaign, giving him 5 rings as his career wrapped up. In the end, Kobe Bryant not only won 5 championships, but also dominated as a scorer, even putting up 60 in his last game, marking him as an all-time legend.
Lebron James: Regarded as one of the best overall athletes to ever touch a sporting event, Lebron James will go down as having one of the most successful careers in all of sports. Drafted out of high school with the first pick of the 2003 draft, Lebron James led a struggling Cavaliers franchise to playoff level by the 2010, when he left for the powerhouse of the Miami Heat. Joining Chris Bosh, Ray Allen, and Dwayne Wade, Lebron assisted in the back-to-back run the heat had between 2012 and 2013. Following this stint, Lebron left back for his hometown team in Cleveland, where he shockingly came back from a 3-1 deficit to gain them their first ever championship in 2016. For his last move, Lebron made headlines when he left of LA in 2019 and won them a championship in the infamous "bubble-year." Throughout his career, Lebron has racked up nearly 40,000 points and 4 MVPs and Finals MVPs, cementing him in history with a career full of stories and achievements.
Michael Jordan: Regarded as the GOAT of basketball, to say Michael Jordan had an amazing career is an understatement. Drafted third in 1983, Michael Jordan would stay loyal to his Chicago Bulls as he led them from scraps to the eventual dynasty everyone remembers today. Since his career began, Jordan went to the playoffs ever single year until his last championship in 1998. During this, he ran through many dynasties, from the Showtime Lakers to the dynamic duo of Stockton and Malone. Throughout this, Michael led two three-peats, separated by a hiatus following the death of his father. During this, Michael won a record 6 finals MVPs, 5 MVPs, 3 ASG MVPs, and 1 DPOY as well. Michael averages the most points out of any NBA player over his career (30.1 ppg) as well as led the league in scoring 10 times, and was the oldest to do so at the ripe age of 35 years old. In the end, Michael Jordan led a career on rivaled by two, and did so in a time regarded as the most violent era in NBA history, proving why he is not to be debated.
Regardless of who you consider the greatest, these three will go down in history synonymous to greatest and debates, as they all tackled numerous roadblocks and tallied some of the most dumbfounding statistics of all time.
~Tyler Rath
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