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LeBron James is the all-time leading scorer in NBA history, but Austin Rivers maintains that James isn't even close to being one of the ‘best'.
Rivers, who played more than a decade against James in the league, said recently that there is a relatively long list of players that he would consider to be superior to James in the art of scoring.
“LeBron's number one (on the all-time scoring list), but his game doesn't match a prototypical scorer. It's also not sexy. LeBron's game is built on force, sheer will, dedication his mind, his IQ, the way he's able to dissect and control the game. Power above anything else. He wills himself to the basket,” Rivers said on the ‘Off Guard' podcast. Now, as he's gotten older, he's — again, you gotta give the guy credit — he's become a better and better and better jump shooter. It's crazy, he's going to retire, probably, being the best jump shooter he's ever been. What you gotta give credit to his work ethic. You don't do that by not getting in the lab. But his game has never been a sexy scorer. When you think of that, you think of the fadeaway, you think of the post up, you think of, you know, mid range for one, being able to get to a spot on the floor for a game winner.”
Austin Rivers on scoring in the NBA
"LeBron James doesn’t have half the offensive bag that Kevin [Durant] has…I would say Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, James Harden, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, and Allen Iverson are the best scorers I’ve ever seen"pic.twitter.com/SqiXOXitjG
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) August 13, 2025
Rivers named James Harden and Kevin Durant as players with the “aesthetic” and go-to moves that can enable them to score. Durant, in particular, drew praise from Rivers, who said he had double the “offensive bag” as James and can score in a broader “variety of ways” than the man who has scored more than 42,000 regular-season points.
The observation, while potentially controversial because of James' accolades and popularity, is not a new one. Early in his career, James' mediocre-to-poor midrange shooting was explicitly exploited by opposing teams, most notably the San Antonio Spurs in the 2007 NBA Finals. James has even admitted he needed to improve in the midrange, as well as on the block, to help his teams win. And more recently, he has become a strong 3-point shooter, which has only aided him in his fight against Father Time.
James, 40, is the oldest active player in the NBA and will become the first person in league history to play a 23rd season when he takes the floor this fall.
