Whenever LeBron James is asked on the record about his legacy — and, more specifically, the GOAT debate between him and Michael Jordan — he tends to kind of brush it aside, while still sounding confident. He understands, ultimately it’s an eye of the beholder discussion.
That’s exactly how it played out when he sat down with Sean Gregory of TIME magazine for a cover story on the inaugural TIME 100 Sports, a list of who the magazine sees as the 100 most influential figures shaping the sports landscape around the globe. Of course, one of the conversations was about the GOAT debate.
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“I’m not taking nobody over me… There’s no question. But I think Mike will say the same thing. Rest his soul, Kobe will say the same thing. Magic will say the same thing. Bird will say the same thing. Shaq could say the same thing. The late great Wilt. Kareem. I don’t think none of us are going to take somebody else.
“If there’s a general manager and he’s eyeballing all of us on a baseline, with the No. 1 pick, it’s gonna be hard not to take me, champ.”
The challenge with the GOAT debate — aside from the issue that Jordan’s career has become mythologized by things like “The Last Dance” documentary, and some fans treat him like a basketball deity — is that it’s not just about statistics or skill sets or even championships. Influence on the perception of the game and on the global basketball market — shoe and apparel sales — all factor in.
LeBron gets that and understands Jordan’s influence.
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“You ask somebody that grew up in the Jordan era, they’re gonna say Jordan… You ask somebody who grew up in the LeBron era… they’re still gonna say Jordan… Listen, to each his own…
“I can tell you this. I never step my feet in another man’s shoes, saying, ‘OK, well, s***, I got to do better than him.’ My journey is my journey. I do what I do. I know what I’ve brought to the table. From a basketball standpoint, an inspiring standpoint, an influential standpoint, I know I can walk in any room.”
How much longer will LeBron play?
LeBron isn’t hanging on NBA rosters to set records by playing in a 24th NBA season, during which he will turn 42 — he is still impacting winning. He was a deserving All-Star last season who averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 assists and 7.2 rebounds a game. In the playoffs, with the Lakers’ Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves out injured, LeBron took on the lead playmaker role again, averaging 23.2 points and 7.3 assists a game to lead the Lakers past the Rockets in the first round.
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The expectation in league circles is that LeBron will return for at least one more season, but when TIME asked about it, you can hear a LeBron pulled in two different directions at this point in his career.
“I love being out there and competing at the highest level, which the postseason is… Playing the game that I love and having fun, enjoying the competition, was something that you always live for, no matter where you are in your career…
“I’ve spent a lot of time sacrificing… I spent a lot of time putting in the work of my own individual craft, and I’ve had to give up a lot of family time. So a big part of the next 10 years won’t be me getting it back, because you can’t get time back. But my daughter is 11 years old. I’m going to pour into her. I’m going to pour into my wife. Because I wanted to be the greatest that ever played this game, I’ve had to not be the complete husband and complete dad that I want to be.”
Most likely LeBron remains with the Lakers “because he is so entrenched” with the organization (he’s been there eight years) and with his family in Los Angeles, report Jake Fischer and Marc Stein of The Stein Line. Adding to his incentives to stay is the fact that his son, Bronny James, remains on the Lakers roster. However, the Warriors are “legitimately interested” in pairing LeBron with Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and (once he’s healed from his torn ACL) Jimmy Butler in the Bay Area, according to the report.
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As it seemingly always does, it will come down to money — and specifically how big a haircut LeBron is willing to take from the $52 million he made last season. With some roster manipulation, the Warriors could offer LeBron the $15.1 million mid-level exception (but that would hard-cap the Warriors at the first tax apron, forcing them to round out the roster with minimum-salary contracts).
The Lakers have LeBron’s Bird rights and can offer however much they want. However, the organization is prioritizing re-signing Austin Reaves (also a free agent) and retooling the roster with players who better fit around Luka Doncic and his skill set. That’s all easier said than done — two-way wings like the Lakers seek are in high demand across the league. Lakers fans may want to prepare themselves for a more status quo offseason than they hope, league sources told NBC Sports.
Either way, it’s easier to envision LeBron returning to the Lakers on something like a two-year, $50 million contract with a player option on the second year and a no-trade clause than it is picturing him going to Golden State (or returning home to Cleveland). Still, everything is on the table.
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