LeBron James Sees Himself As One Of The Best All-Around Players Ever

LeBron James has claimed himself as one of the best all-around basketball players ever.

During the All-Star break, James sat down with Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski to discuss his legacy. He told Krzyzewski he doesn’t see himself as a one-position player.

“I’m not a point guard, I’m not a shooting guard, I’m not a small forward, power forward. I’m a basketball player,” James said. “Whatever the team needs, you can put me on the floor, you can implement me in there and I can make it happen.”

James has earned the right to feel this way. In January, Miami Heat coach Erik Spolestra said he regrets not playing James at every position.

"If we played LeBron in any of the 5 positions, he would be the best in the league in that position,” Spolestra said. “I always regret and it bothers me to this day that I didn’t have the guts to play him in all 5 positions.”

James played for the Heat from 2010-2014, winning back-to-back championships but he played primarily small forward. The backcourt was run by Mario Chalmers and Dwyane Wade but occasionally, James would bring the ball up court during fastbreaks.

Erik Spoelstra:

"If we played LeBron in any of the 5 positions, he would be the best in the league in that position. I always regret and it bothers me to this day that I didn’t have the guts to play him in all 5 positions.” pic.twitter.com/mn9AVA7KPm
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) January 14, 2023

Although James has recently surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the all-time scoring record, he is recognized as one of the game's greatest passers. Chalmers and Wade were great guards but if James played the position, he could easily make plays by finding open shooters.

Because of the Heat’s depth, it may have been difficult for James to play center.

Cory Nelson is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He attended Northern Virginia Community College. He can be reached at corymckenzienelson@hotmail.com or follow him on Twitter @CKenzyNelson. You can also check out his personal blog: https://substack.com/profile/114079068-cory-nelson?utm_source=account-card