Why LeBron James is the greatest scorer that has ever lived

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is one of if not the, greatest passer playmakers the game has ever seen. Tenacious on the defensive end, he’s well known for his demoralizing chase-down blocks. Yet in assists, he’s seventh all-time and he doesn’t even crack the top 50 in blocks.

There is one statistic, however, that he is not only running out of room to rise in but one that very well may have its ceiling reached this upcoming season.

LeBron James is one of the most underrated scorers of the basketball we’ve ever seen. To the point where when the skill of scoring is brought up, you’re sure to hear names like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant and even Steph Curry far before we hear LeBron’s.

Now, although the distinction of number four and five on the all-time scoring list belong to two of those legends, it begs the question of why there’s such hesitancy to bring up LeBron.

Could it be that given the ease at which he drives to the basket, there is a chance people discredit his offensive skill? With most if not all of the aforementioned names there tends to be a mental note of elite footwork and in most cases ball handling. James has brought both to the forefront of his offensive arsenal over the years, specifically in his four years with the Lakers.

Could the hesitancy stem from the narrative that The King doesn’t hit shots in the clutch? In order to be considered an elite, all-time talent on the offensive end, typically the player in question has come up big in the biggest moments on the offensive end.

Over his entire career, the media has carried the idea for whatever reason, yet when you take a close look you’ll come to find that the idea couldn’t be further from the truth. Today, we debunk those theories.

Why LeBron James is truly the greatest scorer of all time:

Offensive skill

With ball handling and footwork, there aren’t very many stats to provide such as ankles snatched, or numbers of times a player was able to make their defender bite on a pump fake. That’s why it’s a difficult one to prove by the numbers. So instead, I hope you enjoy the following videos proving my point:

Shamgod into a cross for the lay? C’mon now:

It’s not just that he’s doing these things on the court. It’s the fact that he’s doing all this while not only being six-nine and 260 pounds but also being primarily a passer. Will it look a little different than the slimmer six-six Kobe and MJ? Of course, but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s doing it nonetheless.

Clutch scoring

The distinction of a clutch scorer, while thrust upon the others, is rarely bestowed on James. His skill in this department is so scrutinized and undercovered that even the mention of it was enough to make the King blush in a post-game press conference back in 2018.

When it comes to the narrative of LeBron James not being clutch, you can certainly point to his meltdown in the 2013 Finals where he admittedly fell apart, but outside of that, the claim tends to lack any sort of validity.

Being a pass-first player paired with the basketball IQ James possesses, are there oftentimes late in games that he’ll opt into passing the ball to an open teammate rather than taking the shot? Without a doubt. When you have an entire defense crashing towards you, however, there’s bound to be an open man to find, and believe me, he’ll be found.

Unfortunately, nobody is perfect, and the teammates on the receiving end of his passes have missed in the past. I have never understood, however, why the correct basketball decision of making the right pass to the open man has been a hindrance to his clutch legacy.

If you look purely at the numbers specifically in the playoffs, which is arguably when you most need to come up clutch, LeBron boasts better numbers than some of the greatest scorers combined.

If LeBron James can average 16.2 points this upcoming season over 82 games, the all-time scoring leader position is his, and the feat will be accomplished in purple and gold. Just seems right.

You’re more than welcome to critique parts of his game, and even dislike parts of his game, but when it’s all said and done, like it or not, he’s going to be the league’s number one scorer of all time.

Former lottery pick blames Lakers’ LeBron James for ruining the league

Former Bucks lottery pick Brandon Jennings blames Lakers superstar LeBron James for the NBA becoming a player-driven league.

And when that happens it’ll not only be difficult to deny he’s a gifted scorer, but it’ll be even more difficult than it is today to deny that he really is the GOAT.