Why LeBron James Isn't The GOAT

Few players in the history of organized sports have garnered more attention than Los Angeles Lakers' star LeBron James, currently playing in his 17th NBA season.

In a 2018 episode of "More Than An Athlete", James claimed that his 2016 NBA Finals victory against the 73-9 Golden State Warriors made him the greatest basketball player ever.

However, assessing his legacy solely through the lens of a 3-1 series comeback against one of the most impressive teams in NBA history does not paint the picture in its entirety.

Despite proclaiming himself as NBA royalty, since being drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003, James has relocated on three separate occasions to form "superteams" in cities across the United States.

After seven difficult seasons in Cleveland (including a 2007 NBA Finals appearance in which his Cavaliers were swept), James made the infamous "Decision" to join the Miami Heat in 2010.

Re-signing perennial All-Star Dwyane Wade, the Heat also acquired Raptors' star Chris Bosh that summer to form their so-called "Big Three", a trio that played four seasons together in Miami.

In 2011, the Heat advanced to the NBA Finals against Dirk Nowitzki's Dallas Mavericks.

Despite leading the series 2-1, Miami failed to win a pivotal contest in Game 4, due largely to a subpar performance from James. During 46 minutes of play, the reigning MVP went 3-for-11 from the field, scoring only 8 points in a losing effort.

Fueled by their victory, Dallas proceeded to win three straight, clinching the series in six games, and rendering James "ringless" once again.

In 2012, the "Big Three" finally delivered on their promise to bring jewelry to Miami, besting a young Oklahoma City Thunder team, filled with underdeveloped stars, to clinch the Title in five games.

One could argue that this was the only deserved ring of James' lengthy NBA career.

In 2013, the Heat would repeat as NBA Champions, dropping the San Antonio Spurs in seven games after a memorable series-saving shot from Ray Allen in Game 6.

Though James won his second Finals MVP in as many seasons, it remains difficult to consider this series outside of Allen's clutch shot saving Miami's superteam.

In 2014, the Spurs took their revenge on the Heat, overcoming them in five games and effectively disbanding a superteam that went .500 in four consecutive trips to the NBA Finals.

The most notable moment of the 2014 NBA Finals came in Game 1, when the self-proclaimed GOAT was forced to leave the floor -- due to leg cramping.

The summer of 2014 saw James return to Cleveland, seeking to bring a ring to his hometown franchise. (So much for his declaration regarding the number of trophies Miami planned to attain: "not five, not six, not seven...")

James' four-year absence now proved to be quite convenient, as the Cavaliers managed to stockpile young talent, selecting phenom Kyrie Irving with the first pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, and adding Kevin Love as another key piece in a trade with Minnesota.

Thus, the second LBJ superteam was born, as fans who had burnt his jersey four years prior returned to idolizing him. You can't make this stuff up.

In the 2015 NBA Finals, James' rejuvenated Cavaliers were bested in six games by the up-and-coming Golden State Warriors, who quickly adopted a "small-ball lineup" to dig themselves out of a 2-1 series hole.

Admittedly, this loss is difficult to pin on #23, who became the first player in NBA Finals history to lead both teams in points, assists, and rebounds -- despite the glaring absences of Irving and Love.

However, such excuses were not granted in the 2016 NBA Finals, when James and company rallied from a 3-1 series deficit to best the Warriors in seven games.

Unfortunately, Golden State lost a key defender for Game 5 when Draymond Green was unfathomably suspended following an altercation initiated by James. This game also saw Warriors' center Andrew Bogut suffer a season-ending knee injury.

In Game 6, unanimous MVP Stephen Curry fouled out due to a series of questionable calls by league officials who seemed more interested in bolstering James' legacy than ensuring a level playing field.

And in Game 7, the Cavaliers rode their momentum (as well as a massive shot from Kyrie Irving) to sink Golden State and bring a Title to Cleveland for the first time in team history.

Though the Warriors found solace in soundly defeating the Cavaliers in both the 2017 and 2018 NBA Finals, most analysts discredited their success, as they added superstar Kevin Durant to help finish the job.

It's difficult to understand why James has remained an icon while bouncing from city-to-city creating superteams in pursuit of his next ring, whilst Golden State was berated for adding a single free agent to a team largely assembled through the NBA Draft. Nonetheless, this blatant double-standard was present in James' most recent Finals losses.

All the same, this so-called "greatest player in NBA history" entered the summer of 2018 with a record of 3-6 in nine Finals appearances.

And thus, LeBron James returned to his self-appointed role as General Manager, dialing up superstar Anthony Davis in the prime of his career, and assembling a fearsome roster for the Los Angeles Lakers in his first move to the Western Conference.

Though James' eight consecutive trips to the NBA Finals were impressive, the general consensus remained that he would struggle to maintain such a high level of success while playing in a superior conference.

And this consensus proved absolutely correct, as the new-look Lakers missed the 2019 NBA Playoffs, marking James' first absence from the postseason since 2005.

While NBA fans will never know if his accolades could have been replicated in nearly two decades of Western Conference play, it remains astounding that James now ranks himself above Michael Jordan, who boasts a perfect 6-0 record in Finals appearances and didn't spend his entire career changing uniforms to chase an untouchable legacy.

As the 2020 Lakers do battle with the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference Semifinals, their current narrative remains clear: this team is striving to win a Title for Laker legend Kobe Bryant, who tragically died in a helicopter crash in January.

With Los Angeles boasting the one-seed (and their counterpart Milwaukee Bucks facing almost insurmountable odds after falling behind 3-0 to the Miami Heat), the table is set for James to earn his fourth ring in the coming weeks.

Should the latest incarnation of his superteam fail to accomplish this task, the repercussions for his unconvincing legacy could be catastrophic.