Of course, James is always talked about as being arguably the greatest basketball player ever, whether he deserves it or not. He was listed at No. 4 on ESPN’s list.
“The ’48 special’ game happened 17 years ago this spring,” wrote Brian Windhorst. “That’s when James scored 29 of the last 30 points for the Cleveland Cavaliers in a double-overtime upset Game 5 road win against the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference finals.
“… That win paved the way to his first Finals, starting a run of 10 appearances in 14 years. During that stretch he won four NBA titles, four MVPs and four Finals MVPs with three different teams, as well as two Olympic gold medals. He also won at least one road game in 29 consecutive playoff series. He has scored in double figures in 1,222 consecutive regular-season games — the last time he didn’t, his son Bronny, now his Laker teammate, was 2 years old. Volume isn’t a vogue way to measure achievement in the NBA anymore, and it lends credence to those who want to push James down all-time lists. It’s the only side of the argument to take against James, who has essentially renamed the NBA’s record book for himself.”
To rank that high on any list of athletic greatness, one has to have an incredible amount of staying power and longevity. One can take shots at James for certain flaws in his resume, such as his 4-6 NBA Finals record, but he does have the greatest longevity of any NBA superstar ever.
Even at age 39, he is still an elite player, and he has shown little, if any, real slippage after 21 seasons in the league.