Same. I’m same age as LeBron and grew up about 10 min away. When my buddy got his drivers license we started going to some of his games (junior year). My now wife would be at parties with him

So throughout high school, college, girlfriends jobs, cities, kids, etc… I’ve basically spent my free time watching LeBron get buckets for damn near my entire grown life.

I’m a middle age man with a whole ass family now and hurt my knee getting into the car yesterday. And he’s still holding the NBA world captive

Since Lebron joined the league I went from preschool, through elementary school, high school, college, university, have been with my fiancée for 11 years (which is when Lebron rejoined the Cavs a second time), am getting married and buying a house soon. I only barely have any memories of life before then, and im almost 30.

I was born less than 5 months before LeBron was drafted. I’m 23. When he retires, it’ll be the forst time since I was a literal infant that the NBA won’t have LeBron. And he’s STILL a top player in the league. Insanity.

JJ Reddick had a legendary career at Duke. Then he had a 15-year NBA career, longer than 99% of NBA players. Then retired from the NBA to commentate. Then retired from commentating to coach……

And the entire time LeBron’s been averaging 27 ppg

Yeah the disability part was implied when you said you joined the military

wemby quite possibly, if he stays healthy and continues to improve. he already had one of the GOAT defensive seasons last year imo. he’s still kind of figuring out what his role is offensively, but he’s obviously skilled on that end and huge.

they’re not quite GOAT potential, but jokic and sga are really really fucking good and could go down as legends in their own right depending on how the rest of their careers go.

it’s too bad in a way that team composition impacts how players are seen so heavily. jokic will be looked at more fondly if he’s making finals runs on a contender elsewhere than if he puts up all time stats and net ratings on a super mid nuggets squad

Yeah Wemby has the potential 100%

The chances of him having the longevity necessary at that size is obviously not very high, but he could have a good argument for “best peak” in NBA history at some point in his career.

What about Jordan’s first and second retirements? 

I dunno. I don’t see it. At that height and with the way he plays, he is inevitably going to have health and longevity issues. I hope I’m wrong.

Don’t forget LeBron and Jordan just barely didn’t overlap at all. However a bunch of fools then thought Kobe was up there with Jordan

Wemby absolutely has goat potential

Brady wasnt as omnipresent in media and internet discourse like Lebron has been, or as polarizing with people building entire media careers by being famous for glazing or hating him.

The league will adjust for sure, but the media and internet landscape will take some time to adjust

Mahomes is on pace to win more than Brady, as unlikely as that may be. NBA doesn’t have the positional advantage of an elite QB being able to will wins like the NFL does.

thats what she said to me

he was pretty dang good in the playoffs

I think you mean oui not we

Remember in Semi-Pro when Andre 3k invents the alley oop? That was based on LeBron.

I am so ready for “Lebron is so old…” jokes, please make this a thing

Lebron is so old, that one random day he called his pals Jerry West and James Naismith to hang out and bounce a pig bladder around and the rest is history

Same. I’m middle aged so I’ve seen both play. Jordan is certainly the most clutch player of all time but greatest of all time to play the game/of being a bball player?

It’s Lebron by a mile. He’s top ten all time in three major statistical categories. Two of which are the basis for offense and by extension winning the game (points and assists)

U couldn’t dream up a more complete player of the game 

I think we just cannot objectively put one above the other. It’s a multifaceted discussion of “peak” vs “range”. And you can pick whatever you prefer, as long as you don’t disregard the other.

Because MJ had the better org worth staying in, and the pure scoring prowess, and the brand, but also he just “retired” in the middle of it, didn’t need to play in the modern media era, achieved nothing outside of Bulls etc etc., while Bron is most versatile and most athletic player in history, and a raiser and team player, and won with 3 different franchises and battled against most stacked team in history, but also tried imitating Jordan instead of making his own brand, and pushed to join other superstars, and had a stupendously bad 2011 playoffs etc etc.

And yes part of the toxicity of the discussion is how cult like MJ is by oldheads, and how we still to this day don’t really accept and understand just how monumental the career of Bron. That it’s still going and he still averages 20pts and punks players twice his age in playoffs and does tomahawks after sciatica. His longevity and health and work ethic are so insane and consistent, multiple generations of fans have grown bored of it, grown used to it, complacent.

But I really believe that after he retires, with time, the general consensus will drift towards them sharing the peak or being two sides of the coin or whatever you call it.

I’m also too young to have watched MJ play, but I think there’s something to be said about the magic of winning 3 titles, retiring and then coming back to win 3 more. LeBron has the longevity and he’s most likely a *better* player overall. But MJ has more accolades in a much shorter career, and he was the most dominant scorer of all time outside of Wilt Chamberlain.

The reverence of MJ is certainly cult-like. But he also just has a better career on paper.

At the end of the day, the goat-debate will always be idiotic. Just enjoy the players while they play.

Think it’s because he’s played longer, but it hasn’t resulted in more accolades - he IS fading.

He’s GOAT, but he’s going out as a top 20 player, not #1.

You gotta go by the restricted license column since that’s still a license that allows you to drive wherever - just not late at night or with a crowded car.

It’s 17 if you take driver’s ed.

Source: a New Yorker who got his license at 17

How else can you interpret that comment….

It’s not a nursing home it’s a retirement community!

we all get old, time aint waiting for no one kiddo

Why would you need an AARP card to go to bed?

Trying too hard. Subpar zinger. Do better.