Lionel Messi, who is called the ’21st century football emperor’, can be counted as the hottest player in the world sports world last year. It is because he has completed the so-called ‘Last Dance’ properly by achieving the World Cup victory, which remained the only Han in the state of peaking as a soccer player. He not only gave Argentina the first championship in 36 years, but also won the Golden Ball, standing tall as the best hero.
Based on his delicate ball control ability, no one doubts Messi’s ability to show top-notch skills in most areas that soccer can show, such as dribbling, scoring, and playmaking. It has been compared to legends such as Pele and Maradona as not only the world’s best player in existence, but also as a player capable of competing for the top in football history.
What was a problem there was the World Cup unrelated. Even after sweeping numerous titles in the big leagues and showing great performances, there were not a few people who tackled him saying, ‘What about the World Cup?’ It was inevitable that it was his destiny as a star who could compete for the top spot in history, but last year he finally unraveled the last skein on his own. Now, he has risen to a position where he can boast that he is the best of all time.
Fans’ affection for the legend that dominated an era is special. When I think of that time, countless romances and memories are imprinted on me, enough to remind me of the player in question. Therefore, when another star appears and challenges a new history, there are voices of support, but sometimes there is a strong sense of resistance. This is the reason why voices demanding proof are constantly pouring out in addition to various points.
If Messi is the best active player in the soccer world, then LeBron James (38‧206cm) can be the first player in the NBA. The nickname ‘King’ suggests what kind of player he is. He is still the same this season. Even at the age of 38, where it is not easy for any player to maintain his career, he is recording league-top results with an average of 30.2 points (7th overall), 7 assists, 8.5 rebounds and 1 steal in 44 games.
It’s hard to find a player who has achieved this level of performance at LeBron’s age. He can’t say that he goes backwards in time, but it is true that the aging clock is much slower than others. Recently, LeBron set a record that will go down in NBA history. On the 8th (Korean time), in a home game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, USA, he set the NBA record for the most points scored again.
He hit a fade away shot with 10.9 seconds left in the third quarter to score 38,388 points, breaking the previous record (38,387 points) held by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. It was even more meaningful in that it was the first record in 39 years since Abdul-Jabbar surpassed Wilt Chamberlain’s record in 1984. In the future, LeBron’s goals will continue to set new records.
Now, the fans’ interests are focused on ‘Can LeBron really become the greatest player of all time?’ After being nominated by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the first pick in the first round of the 2003 draft, LeBron has been consistently active while playing for the Miami Heat, Cleveland, and LA Lakers, earning a reputation as a long-running star representing the league.
Finals Champion 4 times, Finals MVP 4 times, Regular Season MVP 4 times, First Team 13 times, All-Star 19 times, All-Star Game MVP 3 times, All-Defensive First Team 5 times, Rookie of the Year, Scoring Champion 1 time, Assists Champion 1 time, etc. In addition to numerous individual awards, the cumulative record is getting heavier and heavier… , It is a look that goes beyond a simple superstar and becomes a piece of history. Due to his extensive career, it is even called ‘the living NBA encyclopedia’.
Nevertheless, it doesn’t seem easy for LeBron to rise to the top position of all time. This is because Michael Jordan, the legend of legends recognized as the undisputed No. 1 in NBA history, is enduring. In the background where Jordan is evaluated as the best of the best, the influence in the invisible part is also great. If you look, there are plenty of players who have won more championships than Jordan or have a better cumulative record.
But there is something special about Jordan that is hard for others to follow. A typical example is the image of a winner. After passing through the period of challenging and growing and becoming somewhat complete, words such as frustration and defeat do not come to mind. I have always won at important moments, so I have a strong image of a winner. In addition to outstanding skills and great achievements, ‘Storytelling’ like a main character in a movie is well done.
Conversely, LeBron’s storytelling is somewhat inferior to his staggering record. In particular, the fact that he was weak on the final stage is a part that constantly catches his ankle. The fact that he has reached the final stage 10 times in his career, including eight years in a row, is dignified in itself. However, compared to the number of advances he has won, he has won only four times.
40%, which is less than half if not 100% like Jordan, is very insufficient. Six out of 10 times he made the opponent he faced into the hero. Some argue that it is unfair for the finals win rate to be negative, saying, “It is too harsh to underestimate Lebron by final win rate in reality where there are many players who have never made it to the finals throughout their career.”
That’s fair enough. In the case of weak teams, home fans are in a festive mood even if they only advance to the playoffs. Not to mention, LeBron has experienced his final stage 10 times. Regardless of whether he won the championship or not, it is true that advancing to the finals itself becomes a career. Unfortunately, the reason the final win rate is pointed out as a disadvantage is because the target is LeBron.
Because LeBron is aiming for the best ever, the rigor that would not apply to other players is compared to his career. Just as Messi was forced to win the World Cup to be recognized as the best of all time… , In addition to that, whenever the team he leads faces a limit, he moves to a new nest and finds a breakthrough by making a new board with players who suit his taste, which is evaluated as the biggest reason why many people are disappointed. 슬롯사이트
In the past, there have been occasional cases where big name players came together to win, but most of them were the last choice of veterans who had passed their prime. Knowing the inside and the background, there were not a few cases where even the fans of the former team applauded and cheered. LeBron, on the other hand, was different. Since the peak of his career, he has openly called up star players to create a super team. There were fans who were excited about the topic, but not a few cases turned their backs.
Regardless of the East or the West, the word ‘growth’ is always included in the hero story that fans love the most. Jordan also had to look up to Magic Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakers and Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics in the early days of his career, and had a hard time surpassing the Detroit Pistons, who were called the Bad Boys. If the fans who grew up like that and stood with him until he reached the top are Jordan, it’s only natural that they became particularly excited and cheered.
Of course, LeBron’s bold narrative, which breaks away from the stereotypical patterns, is also a story if it is a story. It is clear that the emotions and fun that accompany it will be felt differently depending on the person. In the current situation, the part that Lebron can appeal the most compared to Jordan is the cumulative record. It is difficult to predict how much more he will run and what records will be added in the future, considering his ability to still produce top-tier results in the league. This is why comparisons with Jordan are still ongoing.