According to Bleacher Report, NBA Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas gave his thoughts on why he thinks LeBron James is better than Michael Jordan. While this may come off as Thomas picking James because of his hatred for Jordan, the Los Angeles Lakers star has proven his dominance on numerous occasions.
Thomas pointed out that the reason why James is above everyone else is because he is the leader in almost every statistical category. James surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's scoring record in the 2022-23 season. He is also the leading scorer in playoff history. LeBron is also a top-five all-time assists leader and a top-10 all-time steals leader.
Given all these factors, Thomas thinks that being on top on almost every category is the true definition of being the greatest of all time.
“I think when you look at, like I say, [LeBron James] touched and he leads in almost every statistical category,” Thomas said. “He’s passed Kareem in scoring. I think he’s got the most playoff points. Not only that, when you look at the assist column, I know where I stand on the assist record. I think he’s passed me; I think he’s passed Magic on the assist record.”
“There’s never been another player like him,” Thomas continued. “Now, everyone has their favorites, but if the numbers don’t lie, the numbers don’t lie. And he definitely passes the eye test. So to me, he’s the best that I’ve ever seen from a team standpoint and also as a basketball player.”
LeBron James' NBA achievements
LeBron James is about to enter his 22nd NBA season and isn't showing any signs of slowing down. Despite already turning 40 years old this coming December, James is still on top of the basketball mountain. His longevity and greatness allowed him to shatter and set several records that other players couldn't imagine doing.
As of the time of this writing, James holds the record for the most points in both the regular season and playoffs. In the regular season, LeBron currently has 40,017 points and is likely to go further given he has a couple of more years left in him. Then in the playoffs, he holds the record with 8.023 points.
Other statistical categories wherein James holds the record in the playoffs include steals, field goals made, and free throws made. He is also close to taking the top spot in assists, three-pointers made, and total triple-doubles in the postseason.
On top of all these records are a plethora of accolades that further cement his legacy as one of the all-time greats. James is a four-time NBA champion, a four-time Finals MVP, a four-time regular season MVP, the first-ever NBA Cup champion, the first-ever NBA Cup MVP, and a 20-time All-Star. No matter what people say about him, nobody can deny the greatness James displayed throughout his career.