Five Reasons Why LeBron James Isn't the GOAT in the NBA

May 15, 2024

Why is LeBron James not the GOAT in the NBA? Eleazar Gonzales breaks down the reasons why one of the best NBA players in history isn't the single-best player.

The debate about who is the greatest player of all time in the NBA has been an endless one because everybody has an argument to present. For a majority of the fans, it's Michael Jordan because of his 6-0 record in the NBA Finals. For some, it's the legendary Bill Russell because of his 11 championships. For some, it's the late Kobe Bryant because of his impact on a lot of young players. 

For a bunch of young fans today, LeBron James is their GOAT. For some, it's because of his accolades. For some, it's because of the fact the King is still playing at a high level despite being at the age of 39. 

However, a few people think James is not and will never be the GOAT in the NBA. According to them, below are the five reasons why.

LeBron James' 4-6 Record in the NBA Finals

Sure, James once had eight straight seasons of reaching the NBA Finals. Yet, how many championships did he win in that span? It was three -- two with the Miami Heat and one with the Cleveland Cavaliers. 

Ten trips to the NBA Finals for three different teams, with the last one being with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020. LeBron's record in the finals stands at 4-6. That's just 40%. In comparison, Michael Jordan had a perfect 6-0 slate in the finals. In his 12 trips to the NBA Finals, Bill Russell won the title 11 times -- an astonishing 11-1 slate. Kobe Bryant has a 5-2 finals record. 

Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs would have had a 6-0 record in the NBA Finals if not for Ray Allen's three-pointer in Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals. 

LeBron, on the other hand, has received the sweep in the finals TWICE: one in 2007 and the other in 2018. He also lost to Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks in 2011 despite the Miami Heat being the favored team to win it all. 

Just to give you some numbers: the King averaged 17.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 6.8 assists in the 2011 NBA Finals against a team that had J.J. Barea, Jason Terry, Shawn Marion, and others. 

Really?

LeBron James got outplayed by the 2011 Mavericks 3rd best player and 2017 Warriors 2nd best player on the game’s biggest stage.

Terry vs Bron 2011 Finals

18 PPG > 17.8 PPG
49.4 FG% > 47.8 FG%
39.3 3PT% > 32.1 3PT%
75 FT% > 60 FT%
1.33 TOPG < 4.0 TOPG
32.6 MPG < 43.6 MPG… pic.twitter.com/ZDda9LpMGw

— Olympic Bean (@olympicbean) December 2, 2023

Switched Teams When Not Winning

One of the many arguments being thrown as to why LeBron James will never be the GOAT is the fact he has switched teams when he wasn't winning a championship. 

Sure, it can be looked at as a business decision, as James needed to do what he needed to do for his career. Right or wrong, LeBron switching teams hurt his status as a potential GOAT candidate for one reason: he chose to join teams loaded with stars or form super teams. 

He did it in Miami alongside Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. He did it in Cleveland when Kyrie Irving was already an established star, plus Kevin Love. He joined the Lakers and built a super team alongside Anthony Davis and other notable names. 

On the other hand, Michael Jordan may have taken long before winning his first championship, but he didn't switch teams. Kobe may have demanded a trade, but he stayed in Hollywood and won two more championships. 

Who could ever forget the infamous "The Decision" when LeBron announced he was joining the Miami Heat in 2010?

11 YEARS AGO TODAY
LeBron James made "The Decision" to take his talents to South Beach!

pic.twitter.com/9A4kO7BSuA

— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) July 8, 2021

LeBron Didn't "Dominate"

We've been hearing people say Michael Jordan was dominating the league when he was winning championships. Some people would even say Kobe was virtually unstoppable during his prime. 

Question: did anyone claim LeBron dominates an era?

Probably his fans.

Let's put some numbers into this argument. Michael Jordan, in the 1987-1988 season, had one of the greatest regular seasons of all time. He won the MVP Award, the Defensive Player of the Year Award, a spot in the All-NBA First Team, and the All-NBA Defensive First Team. Jordan averaged 35 points (led the league), 5.8 assists, 5.5 rebounds, 3.2 steals (led the league), and shot 53.5% from the field. While Jordan's Chicago Bulls lost to the Detroit Pistons in the 1988 Eastern Conference semifinals, we cannot take away the fact Jordan had a great regular season. 

His Airness even had a run of seven straight seasons of winning the scoring championship and finished his career with 10 scoring titles. 

LeBron James? 

He only has one scoring championship so far. He may have overtaken Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the all-time leading scorer; however, his inability to "dominate" the league -- even during what his fans claim as the "LeBron James era" -- has been irking other fans. 

Of course, there's also LeBron's struggles in the playoffs. 

Efficiency > Longevity#Bulls Michael Jordan spent 40% of his career winning championships.

MJ spent more than half his time winning scoring titles & being on All-Defensive 1st Teams.

LeBron out here doing cardio. pic.twitter.com/6v8cuJlq4W

— Die-Hard Chicago Bulls Fans (@DieHardCBfans) May 3, 2024

"Fired" Coaches

It's no longer a secret LeBron James had his hands over the firing of almost all the head coaches he played for. In his 21-year career so far, LeBron has been coached by nine different head coaches on three teams. 

Of all the coaches he attempted to fire, only the Miami Heat's Erik Spoelstra didn't receive the boot as Heat team president Pat Riley stood his ground and backed Spoelstra. It was Spoelstra who steered Miami to back-to-back titles from 2012 to 2013 while coaching LeBron, Wade, and Bosh.

The saddest thing about these head coaches is they still get fired even after a successful run. Frank Vogel steered the Lakers to a championship in 2020, only to get fired in 2022. David Blatt first coached LeBron during the latter's second arrival to Cleveland only to get fired due to what Cavs General Manager David Griffin cited was a lack of fit with the team's personnel and vision. The Cavs even had the best record in the NBA at the time Blatt was fired.   

While other players in the GOAT conversation had multiple coaches in their careers, none changed coaches more than LeBron. 

Miami Heat minority owner says LeBron James wanted Erik Spoelstra fired https://t.co/EDlxp4EjRe pic.twitter.com/nvqMeQ75Mx

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 27, 2016

Other GOAT Candidates Are Better

While LeBron James is now the all-time leading scorer and the only player (so far) in the 40K-10K-10K club, the fact that other players in the GOAT conversation have more and better accolades than him is another reason why he will never achieve the GOAT status. 

Sure, the King has better statistics to back his GOAT argument up. Sure, he once went to the NBA Finals eight straight times. Then again, how many championships does LeBron James have right now? Four?

How many does Michael Jordan have? Kobe Bryant? Bill Russell? Kareem Abdul-Jabbar? Tim Duncan?

Saying LeBron James is the greatest of all time will do injustice to the other names in the conversation and will disregard what they've achieved in their careers. 

"Michael Jordan, often hailed as basketball's GOAT, wasn't just gifted with talent and unmatched work ethic. 🏀 While dominating the NBA with the Bulls and clinching six championships, MJ and his teammates embraced hypnosis to boost mental stamina. #MindOverMatter #BullsDynasty" pic.twitter.com/Y4bUYynmM6

— Terry Dungan (@TerryatFHNW) May 7, 2024

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