After LeBron James broke the NBAโs all-time scoring record, some naysayers started calling him the Longevity GOAT as a way to avoid calling him the actual GOAT.๐๐๐๐๐
Although James, has by now done enough to be considered the NBAโs GOAT, we still wanted to look at the best five-year peaks in NBA history. (Spoiler alert: James ranks very high in this exercise.)
To determine when exactly each playerโs peak took place, we used our own and went by each playerโs best five continuous seasons. After that, we asked a panel of our writers and editors to vote on which five-year peaks by NBA legends were the best.๐๐๐๐
No. 1 might be a surprise considering who we just said we have as our outletโs GOAT, though maybe not a surprise to everyone.
For the fourth consecutive year since the league released its NBA75 list, weโre updating our GOAT rankings, adding a 78th player as we leave the leagueโs 78th season behind.
This one comes with a momentous update at the top, one that will irk many and delight many others (especially on the younger side). For the first time, Michael Jordan, the unassailable GOAT for so many years, doesnโt hold the No. 1 spot in our ranking. This shift follows a season in which LeBron James remained one of the premier players in the league, and was actually the best on a star-studded Team USA and the Olympic tournament as a whole.
As in previous years, we held a team vote with the opinions of eight HoopsHype staff members, discarded the highest and lowest ranks for each player, and awarded points based on the remaining positions.
Now, letโs delve into the list.
Top accolades: Four NBA titles, four Finals MVPs, four MVPs, 13 All-NBA 1st Team selections, 21 All-Stars, five All-Defensive 1st Team selections, one NBA Cup, one NBA Cup MVP, three Olympic gold medals, one Olympic MVP
NBA rank: 1st in scoring, 4th in assists, 8th in steals, 30th in rebounds, 81st in blocks
Share of the vote: 99.38 percent of the maximum amount possible
In his 21st professional season, LeBron James made his 20th All-Star appearance, earned his 20th All-NBA selection, won the inaugural NBA Cup and its tournament MVP, and added another Olympic medal to go with tourney MVP to his collection.
It was an outrageously good year for a 39-year-old player who shows very little signs of slowing down.
While we still consider Michael Jordan to have a at
this point we have to bow down to King James and finally move him up one spot to the top of our GOAT list ahead of MJ. His advantage in terms of sustained excellence is just too big to ignore, with LeBron at No. 1 and far ahead of His Airness in an increasing number of accolades and statistical categories.
James came into the NBA with unreal expectations and somehow managed to surpass all of them โ and then some. James is clutch, he can score at a ridiculous level, rebounds well and is a fantastic playmaker, his most impressive trait. Few players have ever matched Jamesโ absurd basketball IQ, one that he could use to continue to dominate for the next few seasons as his career winds downโฆ now with his son Bronny by his side.๐๐๐๐
