Maybe it was his early basketball career at St. Vincent- St. Mary High School, or perhaps it’s because he was the overall first 2003 NBA draft pick at 18 years old. Either way, the debate of whether LeBron James is the GOAT is an ongoing battle between fans and haters. James tells TNT what exact moment made him the GOAT.
LeBron gained national media recognition as a star basketball player of St. Vincent-St. Mary in Akron. The televised games made the future of basketball understand that King James would be remembered in NBA history forever.
The four-time NBA championship holder spoke with TNT’s Kenny Smith on why he is the GOAT. And it has a lot to do with the championship comeback victory in Cleveland, OH.
“At that moment, I was like, ‘I’m the greatest basketball player people have ever seen in all facets. I can play the one through five; I can guard one through five. Did something that’s never been done in the history of the sport. Teams that go down 3-1 were 0 for like 32 in Finals history. There’s nobody ever coming out of that. And nobody gave us a chance. I just felt like, ‘Ain’t nobody better than me at this.'”
He compared himself to Jay Z making the “The Blueprint.”
“‘I felt like Jay-Z when he made ‘The Blueprint.’ That moment right there made me the greatest player of all-time, that’s what I felt.”
Cleveland Cavaliers had been in the devasting stream of losses after James’ initial departure from the team. He traded the cold winters to sunny weather all year round when he joined Miami Heat. The trade impacted the Cavaliers community heavily in 2010.
In summer 2014, he returned to the Cavs and led the team to a victory against the ongoing rival team Golden State Warriors.
James says,” ‘I was super, super ecstatic to win one for Cleveland because of the 52-year drought. The first wave of emotion was everyone saw me crying. That was all for 52 years of everything in sports going on in Cleveland. And then after I stopped, I was like, ‘That one right there made you the greatest player of all-time.'”
Championships aren’t the only thing James is winning at. He recently led the NBA All-Star Game to victory on Sunday night in his hometown Cleveland. He also was honored at the NBA 75 celebration, where Michael Jordan hugged him at the ceremony.
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