We all know what LeBron James can do on the hardwood floor. The better question is, what can't he do? After 17 years of greatness and domination, one has to eventually wonder how will he actually finish his career as an NBA player. Love him or hate him, the 35-year-old legend only has a few years left as father time has yet to be defeated.
With that being said, here are five questions that will go unanswered in LeBron James' career as his time with us is fleeting and should not be taken for granted.
1. Would he have been more successful if he never left Cleveland in the first place?
This question is always interesting to ponder. After all, the Cavaliers would have realistically had Kyrie Irving, Danny Green, James, Antawn Jamison, and Anderson Varejao as the starting lineup if he stayed through 2012. That's a decent starting lineup to build a dynasty upon and there's a real chance that he would have won more rings if only he decided to stay for the long run.
2. Would he have won another ring if he stayed a little longer with the Heat?
We always wonder if LeBron James bailed on Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh a little too early. While it's given that his two co-stars were declining already at that time, we saw hints of the vintage Wade when James left to go back to the Cleveland Cavaliers. In fact, Wade was eventually even able to lead the Heat back into the playoffs and he had quite the season during his last year. This led people to believe that Wade still had some gas left in the tank that James could have still capitalized on. On the other hand, Bosh was dealt with an unfortunate devastating injury that he never recovered from.
Nonetheless, the duo of Wade and James along with the brilliant front office of Miami may still have had an opportunity somewhere if James stayed a little longer.
3. Will he be a top-5 Laker of all time?
This is tough. Without question, James is a once-in-a-generation talent. To some extent, he is even widely considered as the top-2 of all time only next to Michael Jordan. However, to be a top-5 Laker entails different criteria. In this regard, rings and cultural impact are what stand out the most, not purely individual talent. While James has recently brought back hope into Los Angeles after years of mediocrity ever since the post-Kobe Bryant era, the question remains as to how historically impactful he can be moving forward. This question only gets tougher when you realize the names that he has to compete with to be considered in the top 5: Shaquille O’Neal, Jerry West, Kobe Bryant, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Magic Johnson. If he gets included, it will have to correspond to someone else who will have to be taken off the list, which is no easy pill to swallow.
4. Could he have won more accolades if he actually wanted to?
We've always heard this argument. “He could average 40 points per game if he wanted to”, “He could beat out Russell Westbrook in triple-doubles if he wanted to”, “He could be the league MVP every year if he wanted to”, and the list goes on. We always seem to think that James has another extra gear within himself that he can just magically turn on if he wanted to. However, we always set him up for disappointment every time we don't see it come into fruition, which is why we've always had unbelievably high standards for him for the longest time ever.
Nevertheless, the “If he wanted to” debate will always remain as pure speculation as we probably won't see him accomplish the things that we want him to. We won't see James average 40 in the regular season as he chooses to pace himself properly, we won't see him deliberately try to beat Westbrook in triple-doubles as he's willing to partially sacrifice the regular season in the hopes of conserving himself for the playoffs, and we won't see him try to chase another MVP as even though he's regarded as the best player in the league, he just doesn't focus on the individual accolades. At this point, the “if he wanted to” debate simply has to stop.
5. Will he be the GOAT?
We just don't know. Some people already consider LeBron James as the GOAT. In fact, James already proclaimed the title for himself in the past. However, the true measure of GOAT status lies in the unanimous decision of basketball fans all over the world. It's not the rings, the popularity, the individual success, or any other metric. If it came down to metrics, we would have multiple GOATs. If you based it on rings alone, the GOAT would have to be Bill Russell. If it were a popularity contest, then Kobe would fit the bill as we always shout his name every time we throw something in the trash can. If it was individual success, then it would have to be Kareem with 6 MVPs to his name. The list goes on. Nevertheless, Michael Jordan is still widely regarded as the GOAT due to combined multiple metrics and the overall global popularity that he has gained over the years. In this regard, James is a realistic close second. Will we see him overtake Jordan? We'll have to wait and see.
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