Cavs' Head Coach J.B. Bickerstaff: LeBron's Had The Greatest Career
If you as Cleveland Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, there's really not much of a debate anymore.
After LeBron James passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA's All-Time leading scorer on Tuesday night in the Lakers' 133-130 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, LeBron stands alone.
"To me, there's a debate on who is the greatest player of all time? That's fair," Bickerstaff said. "I no longer thing there's a debate on who's had the greatest NBA career. In my mind I think it's clear that LeBron has had the greatest NBA career that we've seen to date."
With a fadeaway jumper in the waning seconds of the third quarter, James surpassed Kareem in exactly 150 fewer games. His regular-season career-point total now stands at 38,390 and counting.
"For 20 years, to dominate the game the way that he has. To impact winning the way that he has and the way that he has gone about business," Bickerstaff continued. "He's a pro's pro. He's a selfless player. He's about his teammates. It' snot like he was this selfish player who was going for himself. He still makes everybody he plays with better."
The 38-year old James has been a human highlight reel since the moment he set foot on a basketball floor. His longevity alone is enough to marvel at, and two decades into his career LeBron is still at the very top of his game. This is no victory lap on the 18th green, he's still going at full tilt.
From the time the Cavaliers drafted him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft, he reshaped a city's relationship with the game of basketball and redefined what it means to be a champion, both on and off the floor.
"I think it's something for the younger generation and the people who have been watching him coming up take notice to and pay attention to," Bickerstaff said. You can be a great player and be selfless at the same time."
His numbers are indisputable and his impact may never be duplicated. Not just his four championships and four MVPs, but ingratiating himself in the fabric of the community.
LeBron was drafted, left, came back only to leave again. Legacies are often complicated, but for the 17-year-old kid dubbed "The Chosen One" on the cover of Sports Illustrated, now he's "The Only One."
"I think he's a hell of a role model for all of our young guys."
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