LeBron James feels pretty confident in his case as the greatest basketball player of all time, but he acknowledges that other players in the conversation for the title carry the same self-belief.
"I'm not taking nobody over me," the Los Angeles Lakers superstar told Time Magazine's Sean Gregory when asked about the basketball GOAT debate. "There's no question."
James added that all the NBA's greats would choose themselves if they were posed the same question.
"But I think Mike (Jordan) will say the same thing. Rest his soul, Kobe (Bryant) will say the same thing. Magic (Johnson) will say the same thing. (Larry) Bird will say the same thing. Shaq (O'Neal) could say the same thing. The late great Wilt (Chamberlain). Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar).
"I don't think none of us are going to take somebody else. If there's a general manager and he's eyeballing all of us on a baseline, with the No. 1 pick, it's gonna be hard not to take me, champ."
James previously brushed off the notion that he was superior to Jordan, telling ESPN's Dave McMenamin in January that he's never compared his game to the Chicago Bulls legend because their games are "totally different."
James is the Association's all-time leading scorer, a four-time NBA champ, and a four-time MVP who's earned 22 All-Star nods in 23 seasons. His other major accolades include 13 All-NBA first-team selections, five NBA All-Defensive first-team nods, and Rookie of the Year honors.
James averaged 20.9 points, 7.2 assists, 6.1 boards, and 1.2 steals across 60 appearances last season. The 41-year-old is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. However, he remains undecided on a record-extending 24th NBA campaign.
"It's up to the mind," James said. "Where the mind goes, the body will lay. When I'm not in love with getting to the arenas on game days five hours before to start my preparation, if I'm out of love with getting to practice 2.5 hours beforehand, then I know I'll be done. Because then I'm going to start cheating the game."
