LeBron James on not taking anyone in NBA history over himself: "It’s gonna be hard not to take me" - United States News Beep

LeBron James just wrapped up another spectacular, unprecedented 23rd season in the NBA. Along the way, he shattered even more historical benchmarks, setting records for the most games played, most career wins and most field goals made – further solidifying his already bulletproof case for the GOAT.

Ah, yes. The endless GOAT debate has raged since the dawn of modern basketball. Today, some fans and analysts argue that Victor Wembanyama is destined to surpass everything James, Jordan, and Bryant, among others, have achieved during their legendary careers.

Yet, if you ask LeBron, he has been locked into a singular destination from day one: becoming the absolute greatest basketball player to ever lace up a pair of sneakers.

“I just knew the police sirens and all that type of sh-t was not for me,” LeBron said in an intimate interview with “Time”. “I knew that the handcuffs was not for me.”

Numbers are on LeBron’s side

To reach the pinnacle of sports, you have to possess an unwavering, bordering-on delusional belief that you are the best at what you do. That rule doesn’t just apply to basketball or sports in general, as it is a universal truth across every aspect of life where self-belief dictates success.

That supreme confidence practically radiates off LeBron whenever he sizes himself up against the pantheon of hoops royalty, the absolute best.

“I’m not taking nobody over me,” James declared. “There’s no question. But I think Mike will say the same thing. Rest his soul, Kobe will say the same thing. Magic will say the same thing. Bird will say the same thing. Shaq could say the same thing. The late great Wilt. Kareem. 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.”

Looking at pure numbers, it is incredibly difficult to argue with the Los Angeles Lakers forward. Stylistically, the game has never seen a single player execute so many different facets of basketball at such an elite level as the kid from Akron, Ohio.

We are talking about the all-time leading scorer in NBA history, a player who has openly stated that he never considered himself a pure scorer. That very same player currently sits fourth all-time on the career assists ladder, despite spending the vast majority of his prime operating as a small forward.

Furthermore, King James was chased by a narrative early in his career that he lacked a reliable perimeter jumper. Yet, here he sits, currently occupying the sixth spot in league history with a staggering 2,636 career 3-pointers made.

He is, quite simply, the ultimate package. While his unprecedented longevity has obviously played a massive role in hunting down these milestones, nobody can deny that his body of work is something the sports world has never witnessed before.

The most flawless draft choice in the history of the league.

While the four-time champion asserts that every icon on that baseline would pick themselves out of sheer competitive pride, Jordan recently offered a completely different perspective that seemingly shuts down the toxic nature of the GOAT debate once and for all.

“The whole GOAT term is never going to be something that I ever will get high or low about. You know, it just doesn’t exist with me,” Jordan declared. “I never played against Oscar Robertson or Jerry West. I would have loved to – absolutely loved to – just as a competitor as I am. And I actually learned from them, you know. And we paved the road to the Kobes and LeBron, right?”

“To me that’s the beauty of the game of basketball – that a player after a previous player has evolved the game further,” MJ added.

It is a fascinating divide that has always separated the Chicago Bulls icon and LeBron. Playing-wise, Michael was perceived as the ultimate, cold-blooded individual killer on the court, while LeBron was heralded as the ultimate team player. Yet, when the conversation shifts to their legacies, the roles completely reverse.

At the end of the day, it is almost impossible to build a logical case against James being the most flawless draft choice in the history of the league, given everything he has achieved – and remarkably, continues to achieve.

This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Jun 9, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

LeBron James on not taking anyone in NBA history over himself: “It’s gonna be hard not to take me”

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