The GOAT that never was
How many times have we heard the old expression, ‘you can’t see the forest for the trees? Many times, that’s how many and it refers to being so caught up in the details that you don’t see the bigger picture. It is with this thought in mind today that we talk about a man born with the physique, skill and determination to the very best player ever seen in the NBA, a player with real GOAT potential, LeBron James.
Now I know what many of you are thinking: LeBron James is the GOAT and sure if you’re under 21 years old I can understand why you would think that. James has in many ways dominated the league for nearly 2 decades, he has amassed 3 championships with 3 different teams, has been a multiple MVP and Finals MVP winner and more points, assists and rebounds all together than any other man in basketball history. So sure, if it’s only the stats talking, LeBron has a case.
But avid watchers of basketball know that it takes more than stats to make a real GOAT. Stats can only provide you with a snapshot in time. Stats can’t tell you how difficult the opposition was. LeBron James never had to face Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabber, Michael Jordan, Bill Russell or many other legendary players. What if LeBron had been drafted in 1957 at the beginning of the Celtics 10 championships in 12 years? Simply put, impossible to say. How can any man say he is the definitive GOAT when he hasn’t played against any of these storied gargantuan athletes?
Stats can’t tell you how stacked your team was. One of the greatest draws of sports is that it’s unscripted, we get to watch the history of the sport unfold live before our eyes. No true fan of sports wants to see a predetermined championship based on the best players colluding together on the same team. Players from yesteryear didn’t lobby other stars to join them, they didn’t push undue influence on who the team’s GM should select. They simply put on their uniforms and hit the hardcourt to play against whatever opponent was coming there way. Imagine if Wilt Chamberlain had joined Bill Russell and created a super team? LeBron sullied whatever his legacy might have been by spending too much time and energy trying to buy himself success. We never saw that from any of the other greats at any point in history.
Nor can stats can’t reflect the differences in medical technologies and advances in understanding the role of diet on sports performance, facilities or training techniques. Today’s professional athletes have access to so much better medical everything. Back in the 1970’s and 80’s sports medicine was mostly unheard of. Physiotherapy as a specialization didn’t even begin in the U.S. until 1974. More than 90% of everything we know today regarding sports medicine has been developed in the last 2 decades. Players in the 70’s and 80’s smoked, even in the dressing room during halftime. Imagine if all the old time greats had the medical staff and dieticians available to athletes today.
Determination, leadership, character and the ability to make those around him better are also vital GOAT qualifications that can’t be found in statistics and here is where LeBron fails spectacularly. Over the past 20 years, it hasn’t seemed to matter what team LeBron was on it was always LeBron and the (fill in name of current team here). It was never Bill Russel and the Celtics or Wilt Chamberlain and the 76ers. But with LeBron, he was always a separate entity within the team himself, always more concerned with his legacy than simply playing the game and doing the best he could and allowing history to judge his contribution by his actions. Instead, LeBron has also tried to control the narrative ahead of basketball success. His lack of championships over so many years speaks to exactly that. Imagine the success LeBron could have had if he only focused on his game and making his current teammates better? He may very well have become the undisputed GOAT.