LePride

The debates rage in every sport and across generations: who is the best of all time? It tends to be a doable thing to measure who the best athlete in a sport is at any given time, but most debates fall apart when comparing individuals across time. It is a case of apples and oranges.

There is very little argument that LeBron James is the best player in the NBA these days. Especially not from him. He wants everyone to know that he is the best player of all time.

Only problem is that basketball is a team sport, and it involves more than talent. Strategy and game planning also have a lot to say about who wins. LeBron may be the best athlete on the court, but he just doesn’t seem to have the ability that coaches and players in the past have had to overcome the opponent on the court. With this latest loss, he is tied for fourth on the dubious list of players with the most losses in the finals.

The reason people are so eager to jump on the anti-LeBron bandwagon is hubris. (I am certainly not above it.  See here and here.)  We can love a humble and gracious loser, and celebrate winners who aren’t full of themselves. However, we will dog-pile a guy who is his own biggest fan. Especially when they predict wins and continuously claim to be the best in the world and of all time.

“Not one, not two, not three, not four…” Prophetic words.

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