Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has been at the forefront of the basketball world for over two decades.
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James has witnessed a ton of love come his way from fans all over the world, but he has also endured a large amount of hate that has come his way. That comes with the territory, in a way.
Nonetheless, James has managed to look over it, but yet again, another former player has thrown some slight shade towards the four-time champion.
NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley joined the Bill Simmons podcast, where he named Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, and LeBron James among the greatest players ever.
Still, Barkley pointed out what he sees as a difference — saying James, unlike Bryant and Jordan, isn’t a “killer.” He even compared him to Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, describing both as “nice guys.”
“The three best players I’ve ever seen are Michael [Jordan], Kobe [Bryant], and LeBron [James], and I’ll tell you the difference between the three. Michael and Kobe were dangerous. They will kill your a–. LeBron is a nice guy, and that’s not a knock. He’s still great, great, great, but he’s a nice guy. Michael and Kobe weren’t nice guys. They’re different. The one thing about OKC, even though I think Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander] is a great, great player. To me, he’s more like LeBron. He’s a really nice guy. He’s not out there trying to kill you.”
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Bryant and Jordan had the mentality of wanting to ‘kill’ their opponent at all costs. They expressed that multiple times throughout their career and made their mark on that.
While James and Gilgeous-Alexander don’t carry themselves the same way as Jordan or Bryant, it doesn’t mean they aren’t as great, at least for James.
The 40-year-old supertar is arguably the greatest basketball player of all time. He is the all-time leader in points and is the only player in NBA history with at least 40,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 10,000 assists in his career. Additionally, he is a four-time NBA MVP, four-time champion, four-time Finals MVP, 21-time All-Star, and a three-time Olympic Gold Medalist.
As for Gilgeous-Alexander, he is coming off a historic season that saw him lead his team to the best record in the NBA, win his first-ever MVP award and lead his team to a title.
If being a “nice guy” in the NBA leads to that kind of success, more players might want to adopt that mindset.
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