If you were to think, who is consistently the best overall basketball player in the world in your lifetime, the answer could not be anyone but LeBron James. Since the King entered the league in 2003, every team he has played for has been lifted to another level of competitiveness. The team so fortunate as to draft James was the Cleveland Cavaliers, and they were blessed with 9 playoff appearances because of James’s will to win. He brought them their first championship ever as a franchise and won the finals MVP. To this date LeBron has left the Cavs twice and when they don’t have James it certainly shows. He leaves a massive hole and big shoes to any franchise who loses him.

The same goes for the Heat, who, with multiple role players and few All-Stars, were able to make the playoffs twice after LeBron’s departure in 2015. The argument that my associate Brady Tabish makes frequently is that LeBron “ruins” whatever franchise he leaves, or joins for that matter. However, every franchise he has played a full season for thus far has won a Championship. The current opinion is that “LeBron is ruining the Lakers” and that he has already ruined other franchises, such as

Cleveland. The fact remains that the sample size is not large enough to measure first off. Secondly he simply makes whatever team is on better. Every team gains at least 15 more wins when he joins, and a chance at the championship. Period. LeBron off the court plays a crucial role, with always thinking of others in his millions donated to charity, his “I Promise” school and standing up to those who tell him to “shut up and dribble.” Some say “LeBron is a bad teammate” or he is a selfish player. The fact of the matter is LeBron has been and still is the best player in the NBA. The best player is always looked at in times of despair or triumph, just like the QB who is almost always blamed for any win or loss a football team has. As for Brady’s argument that his teammates hate him, I argue that no one can make that judgement except for his teammates.

If we aren’t in the inner circle who are we to assume. This year is hard to measure because of LeBron’s 17-game absence from the team due to injury. This year L.A doesn’t look to make a run at the chip or make the playoffs. However, if I was a Lakers fan I wouldn’t sweat. You will get results and most likely more players around LeBron because people want a piece of greatness. As for the hate of “playoff-mode” LeBron, is a basketball player not allowed to have a slump or even a bad game? He cares, and simply wants the best from his teammates because that’s what he expects from himself. So before you pin LeBron with all the hate, see his greatness and assess every angle because it may help you see that LeBron is just a competitor who likes basketball, not a bum.