The LeBron James debate needs to end: James is the best basketball player on the planet

Sports fans love to debate. This is part of the excitement of sports, discussing which players are better at their respective game or position. One that has become surprisingly popular pits sophomore star LeBron James against several other greats, including Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady and others. It’s surprising not only because LeBron is so young that most people would write him off, but also because it really shouldn’t be an argument at all.

That’s how it is. This one is a no-brainer. Stop all arguments, debates and vaguely constructed ideas that other players in the National Basketball Association are better than LeBron James. Today I am here to tell you that there is no reasonable debate: LeBron James is without a doubt the best basketball player on planet Earth!

Okay, before he blows his stack on his age, lack of experience, and the fact that he has yet to win a title like Kobe and others, let’s consider the best barometer of a great basketball player.

Truly great players possess all the fundamental skills: shooting, passing, ball handling, rebounding, shot blocking, and defense. Now players like Kobe, McGrady and Kevin Garnett certainly have these skills. But to truly separate players, we must go beyond these abilities. Consider two more factors: the ability to dominate in any position and to make all the players around you better. This is the true test of greatness. This is LeBron James.

Larry Bird had it, Magic Johnson had it, and Michael Jordan certainly had it. Kobe? I say no. McGrady? Definitely not. Garnett can, but he still has too many 14-point, 9-rebound nights in a losing effort to say he definitely has it.

Now consider LeBron James. The skills are unquestionable. He is averaging 25 points, almost 8 rebounds and just under 8 assists per game, in just his second year in the league, at the tender age of 20. He is the youngest to score 40, to post a triple-double, to start an All-Star Game, and the list grows every night he plays.

Ponder further the fact that at 6-8, a muscular 240lbs and with amazing speed, quickness and jumping ability, LeBron James can handle the ball like a point guard, shoot like most decent guards (still not big) and post. with the best forwards and centers in the NBA. He blocks shots like a center, he can shut anyone down, with his size and quickness, and he gets to the basket and draws fouls better than anyone. He creates a mismatch every night, because he is completely indefensible.

Finally, in just his second year, he has taken on a team that won 17 games prior to his arrival at a 50-win pace. And for the first time since the early 1990s, the Cavaliers are now a legitimate playoff contender. I doubt any coach in the league wants to face the Cavaliers and LeBron James in a seven-game series.

So when people want to talk about the best players in the game, tell them to forget any discussion that doesn’t start and end with the name LeBron James.