Lebron James stepped onto the court at Quicken Loans Arena in downtown Cleveland late last Wednesday night for Game 6 of the NBA Finals knowing that a loss would mean the end of yet another “disappointing” and well, “worthless” season for he and his Cleveland Cavaliers. Lebron James is one of the most renowned figures in sports history and one of the most explosive and electric players the NBA has ever seen, but none of that would really matter to him or anyone else unless he won. Sports fans live and die for legacy and for many (me especially), they wanted to see Lebron win and for Lebron I believe it was more of a need and less of a want. Lebron knew that he needed to win Game 7 on Sunday in Oakland or his career would continue to be nothing but a never-ending story of criticism and complaints…“Lebron can’t perform under pressure,” or “a losing Finals record won’t put him with the greats,” or “he will never be Jordan” are all things the critics say or fans who haven’t quite gotten what they thought the would from the King (i.e The city of Cleveland’s first championship since 1964). The fact is this, Lebron can perform under pressure (clearly), a losing Final record would not have and will hardly taint his legacy and no he is not Michael Jordan, he is Lebron James.

Can we talk about pressure? Lebron James has performed under pressure time and time again. His performance in the Finals against the MVP Steph Curry was nothing short of outstanding and a clear indicator that he can indeed perform under pressure. Yes this year (and the past 13) was incredible for Lebron and his resume has the numbers to back it up, but let’s go back. Lebron James just finished his 13th NBA season and will be basking in the glory that is Cleveland’s first championship in 52 years, but sometimes we forget about where the now-greying, headband-less, 31 year old came from. He wasn’t just some kid out of Akron, Ohio who played high-school basketball at a level high enough to be selected as the number one pick in the draft. He was a national icon when he was 16, he was on the cover of magazines, he was playing basketball on ESPN and in front of crowds of almost 10,000 people, he was being swarmed for autographs by adults three times older than he was, he had already signed a $90 million shoe deal with Nike and he was being nicknamed the Chosen One. With all that hype and promise try to say that there is no way that kid was not feeling any pressure. What I like most about Lebron James is that the kid from Akron actually lived up to the hype and he did it professionally and respectfully. He wasn’t a high school-to-NBA player who flopped his first year in the league, in fact he did the exact opposite. He was a force from the get-go, he has played the game that he has always loved, and he has played it with a passion and intensity that is unmatched. In his first NBA game on October 29th, 2003 (still the ripe age of 18 at this point) in a loss to the Sacramento Kings, James scored 25 points on 12 of 20 from the field to go along with 9 assists, 6 rebounds, and 4 steals. That’s the ultimate “under-pressure” performance and Lebron absolutely took charge and made the game his from the moment he stepped onto the court. Get all nostalgic and let that sink in because the truth is that he was a kid, a rookie, and he was playing like a veteran straight from the jump.

The history lesson was necessary because people don’t appreciate the career of Lebron James like they should or give him the credit that he truly deserves for starting all of this when he was fresh out of high school. All that being said, people do not care and still argue that Lebron’s career would not have ever been what Jordan’s was because he could not win when it mattered. Well, of course Lebron James is not Michael Jordan and of course Lebron James won the 2016 NBA Finals in emphatic fashion, but I say it didn’t make a difference whether he won or not. His numbers speak for themselves and elevate him beyond any other player in NBA history. Lebron’s regular season career statistics rank high and there is no debating that, but it is his playoff statistics that put him in a world of his own. He is the only player in NBA history other than the late-50’s/early 60’s Celtics players to appear in 6 straight NBA finals and he has been the driving force behind each of his teams. No player, and I mean no player performs or has performed in the playoffs as consistently as Lebron James has. Below is a clear representation of his dominance:

Did you carefully look at all of those rankings? Lebron James literally ranks in the Top-10 of every major (and some minor) statistical playoff category except for blocks which is mostly due to the fact that he has ran the floor in nearly every playoff series through his entire career. Top-10 in NBA Playoff history and its not just scoring or games. Literally. Every. Single. Category. The King is king for a reason and those numbers speak volumes. There has been no other player in NBA history who has a statistical resume as extensive as that of Lebron James. He’s ninth all-time in playoff game appearances which means there are eight players who have been given more of an opportunity than he has to climb the statistical ladder. No one has done it and there are no current signs pointing towards a player who will do it any time in the near future. The Jordan-Lebron comparisons are BS for a number of reasons which we will not delve into, but what is clear, I mean blatantly clear (you know, because of numbers), is that Michael Jordan does not rank in the Top-10 in every playoff category, and neither does anyone else.

I want to attack Michael Jordan with a melee of Lebron James’ mind-blowing numbers, but I won’t because there is no need for that, this is not a Michael Jordan attack, but rather a appreciation of Lebron. The only goal here was to shed some light on the credit that Lebron James deserves. The losing record in the finals should not define Lebron James career and it will not now after he shattered the hearts of millions of Warriors fans around the world. He should be in the “Greatest of All-Time” conversations without a doubt and there should be no questions, no debates, no other arguments. Let the numbers speak for themselves and let his legacy not be defined by his record, but rather the intensity and passion he plays the game with. He has influenced the game of basketball for well over a decade and the crazy part about it is he still has a long way to go. Bringing glory back to Cleveland was nice, but I think The King will come back even stronger next season. Even if another title would have eluded Lebron everything would have been alright. The people of Cleveland owe Lebron their life, if he didn’t win last Sunday every citizen in Cleveland still would owe Lebron James their life. He has single-handedly brought a city of tumultuous sports failure to a city of believers, true basketball fans, and now a championship; Lebron James can do no wrong.

By: Noah Yanchulis

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