LeBron James is generally considered a top two player in NBA history but one ex-Miami Heat player thinks differently
It is one of the most discussed debates in NBA history.
If it's not who's the best player the league has seen, it's picking the top 10 players of all-time. Generally, Michael Jordan and LeBron James dominate discussions about the top two players.
Rarely does James fall out of top five, but at least one Hall of Famer thinks otherwise. A five-time All-Star, Tim Hardaway said James doesn't make the cut. He spoke on it during a recent appearance on the "Run It Back " podcast with former players Chandler Parsons and Lou Williams.
Hardaway his choice was no disrespect to James, who he feels is one of the best players in league history.
"I'll tell you this, everybody's top five is different," Hardaway said. "It's no disrespect to LeBron James, playing at 41 and doing what he's doing at 41 and flying around the court. He's talking about they made him the third option. He was the No. 2 option. At times, No. 1. What he's done, it's very remarkable."
James has all the credentials to earn a spot in the top five. He's won four NBA titles with three different teams, the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers. He is the No. 1 career scoring leader and has no plans of slowing down after completing his 23rd season.
But James' legacy took another hit when the Lakers were swept by the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals. It's even a stretch to call this a blemish on James' career because the Thunder could rank among the best teams in league history behind star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Still, Hardaway is set on putting others ahead of James in this heated debate. His top five list consisted of all players whose careers were mostly started in the 1980s and `90s.
"But, you know, you got Michael [Jordan]. I still say Kobe [Bryant]. I still say Magic [Johnson]. Then I still say Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and then you go from there. You've got Hakeem Olajuwon. You got Shaquille O'Neal. You can pick whoever you want."
These debates will never end. It's just interesting to see the amount of differences of opinions out there.
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Shandel Richardson is the publisher of HeatRoundtable. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com