Is Lebron James one of the best players of all time, or is he simply the most overrated player of all time? When money talks, owners and fans seem to want more than anything for Lebron to be on their team. To be sure, he is a physical specimen that is at the top of the athletic food chain, even in the era of freakish athletes. I would venture to say that even some professional football teams would want him to play for them. That said, there have been few players who have been hyped from an early age the way Lebron was, and the media sure makes a lot of money with his success. Therefore, it is beneficial to the media for Lebron to be good. So, does the media overhype him, which would lead to a distorted public opinion of his athletic abilities? Is Lebron overrated?
I have seen some people cite his style of play as a reason for his skewed rating. He utilizes his size and speed to draw fouls en route to the basket. Some say that he gives up when things get tough, where other greats find a way to win (think of Michael Jordan’s flu performance in Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz compared to Lebron’s demeanor in high-stakes games that his team ends up losing). Some people just simply think his greatness is an illusion created by the media because it is advantageous to them, which leads to a Lebron-centered team, which in turn leads to high statistical numbers.
For whatever reason people give Lebron a sub-greatest-of-all-time status, there are indeed counterpoints. He is a freak of physical nature, and he is smart to utilize that. Wilt Chamberlain did, and rarely do you hear of people using that as a knock against him. Also, Lebron did come through in many big games, which ultimately resulted in Eastern Conference and NBA Final Championships as well as multiple MVP awards. This, of course, contradicts the point where people say he gives up in big games. Finally, maybe the media is simply drawn to him because he is the greatest player of the current generation.
I think few would argue that they would want Lebron James on their team. To do so, I think, would simply throw up a flag of envy. That said, people just might have a point about him being overrated in terms of one of the greatest players of all time, let alone in this era. Whatever the case, the fact that he is often compared to Michael Jordan means that he is no slouch.
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