When the G.O.A.T. (greatest of all time) debate comes up in the NBA world, former Miami Heat star LeBron James is likely one of the first names that comes to mind for many folks.
The four-time NBA champion and all-time leading scorer has accomplished an unfathomable amount during his two-plus decades in the NBA.
However, another former Heat player, Tim Hardaway, doesn’t seem to think that James has the edge in the G.O.A.T. debate when compared to other NBA icons like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.
While speaking on the topic, Hardaway made sure to direct “no disrespect” at James, but he didn’t rank the veteran among his two best players in NBA history.
Perhaps the era in which Hardaway competed in the NBA has influenced his lack of love for James in the G.O.A.T. debate. After all, by the time James entered the league ahead of the 2003-04 campaign, Hardaway had already played his last game in the NBA. Hardaway was, however, an active player when Jordan and Bryant were dominating the league.
During the tail end of Hardaway’s pro tenure, he saw Bryant win three straight NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers. Plus, he was in the league for every one of Jordan’s six titles with the Chicago Bulls.
Hardaway saw his last NBA action with the Indiana Pacers in the 2002-03 campaign. Across 10 regular-season contests, he averaged 4.9 points, 1.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 0.9 steals per game. He also got into a few playoff games.
Earlier in his career, he was far more productive. He posted lifetime NBA averages of 17.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game, earning five All-Star bids, five All-NBA selections and eventually becoming a Hall of Famer.
Maybe the biggest factor that differentiates James’ G.O.A.T. argument from Jordan’s and Bryant’s is the track record the 39-year-old has with reaching and playing in the NBA Finals. James has been to a whopping 10 championship series, though he’s actually lost more NBA Finals than he’s won. He has a 4-6 record for his career in 10 trips to the NBA Finals.
Jordan and Bryant have much superior NBA Finals records, but they made it to that stage less than James. Bryant came out on top in five of the seven championship series he played in, while Jordan finished the job in every one of his six NBA Finals appearances.
It’s important to remember that James’ NBA career isn’t over yet, and he can still add to his championship total. This season, he has the Lakers in a solid position in the Western Conference standings, as the team’s 11-7 record has it as the No. 5 seed. Los Angeles is also just three games back of the top seed in the West.