He said it was his Olympic number.

Yea, but changing from an all-time great to an all-time great defeats the purpose of this right?

Yea, but changing from an all-time great to an all-time great defeats the purpose of this right?

 

Generational thing. He might not even know that Russell's number was 6.

Put Jordan 30 years ago and he probably wouldn't even know about him.

Generational thing. He might not even know that Russell's number was 6.

Put Jordan 30 years ago and he probably wouldn't even know about him.

 

Which speaks to why LeBron shouldn't be the one making these decisions.

Which speaks to why LeBron shouldn't be the one making these decisions.

 

He is making ONE decision. He isn't going to wear the number.

Not deciding for anyone else, just going to try and talk them into it.

They will decide.

While he is one of the stars of the league, he does not make apparel decisions for the rest of the league.

That is a legit point.

 

Kobe has not shown to be the rebounder or passer that Lebron has. Lebron is the more complete player while Kobe is the better scorer.

 

Than scoring must be the most important part of the game.

Which speaks to why LeBron shouldn't be the one making these decisions.

 

:thumb:

Generational thing. He might not even know that Russell's number was 6.

Put Jordan 30 years ago and he probably wouldn't even know about him.

 

I seriously doubt he didn't know Bill Russell's number.

Yes I do. It's because Titles are skewed IMO. A player like the Big 0 only has one title, while a player like Olajuwon has two. Both are great players, but I think most people believe that Oscar was the better player. Jordan won nothing without Pippen, etc. A player that is going to be considered the best of all-time should have a title, but I don't think you can compare a players entire (or nearly entirely) body of work to a player who has just reached his prime. IMO, if you look at Kobe and LeBron you can't say the titles (for now) as the main arguement. LeBron is still young, and hasn't had a cast capable of winning the title without catching some (okay alot of) breaks. As a basketball player, IMO, I think that the case can be made for either. At the end of both their careers, titles can enter the discussion.

 

Regardless of the LeBron/ Kobe discussion, titles are the ultimate sign of greatness and, in my opinion, show how great a player is because it show how a player is able to raise the level of play of his teammates. This is particularly true in basketball. If you do not have a star player, you can't win a title in the NBA (Detroit beating the Lakers earlier this decade may be the only time that a team wins a title without any HOF players).

 

The number of rings are the ultimate measure of a superstar's greatness. For the most part, the superstar players are all at a high level in terms of scoring- there must be another factor that seperates one from the other. Some stars play great defense, some are stellar passers, some rebound and block shots, some have a mastery of at leat a few other categories outside of scoring. What else seperates Dr. J from Michael Jordan if it isn't the titles won? What seperates Magic from Stockton? What seperates Duncan from Malone? What seperates Olajuwon from Ewing? The greatest players are able to lead their teams to titles- that is the ultimate ability that a player can have. Titles at the elite level are an indicator of greatness more than any other stat, IMO.