LeBron James: 'I'm not taking nobody over me' in G.O.A.T. discussion

The debate about who the greatest player in NBA history is rages on, and perhaps it will continue forever. In this era, it is generally agreed by many people — whether it is correct or incorrect — that the debate centers around only two men: LeBron James and Michael Jordan.

It still seems like more people consider Jordan to be the greatest of all time (G.O.A.T.), even though he hasn’t played in the league for more than 20 years. But James has made it clear in the past that he considers himself to be the greatest superstar in NBA history, and in an interview with Time magazine, he seemed to repeat that sentiment, at least indirectly.

“I’m not taking nobody over me,” says James. “There’s no question. But I think Mike will say the same thing. Rest his soul, Kobe [Bryant] will say the same thing. Magic [Johnson] will say the same thing. [Larry] Bird will say the same thing. Shaq (Shaquille O’Neal) could say the same thing. The late great Wilt [Chamberlain]. Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar]. 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.”

“I’m not taking nobody over me,” says James. “There’s no question. But I think Mike will say the same thing. Rest his soul, Kobe [Bryant] will say the same thing. Magic [Johnson] will say the same thing. [Larry] Bird will say the same thing. Shaq (Shaquille O’Neal) could say the same thing. The late great Wilt [Chamberlain]. Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar]. 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.”

Plenty feel it is ungracious for James to essentially declare himself the No. 1 basketball player of all time. But other than his 4-6 NBA Finals record, he does arguably have a case, at least in terms of his longevity. He became the NBA’s all-time leading career scorer three years ago and has scored over 50,000 points in the regular season and playoffs combined. The 41-year-old also has the most All-Star game and All-NBA selections, and he’s fourth all-time in career assists with 12,016, just 75 behind Jason Kidd.

While James could retire this offseason, most expect him to play at least one more season, which would give him more time to add to his resume.