Shaquille O’Neal applied the pressure, and it worked.
After LeBron James surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer on Tuesday, O’Neal tried to get the Lakers star to put the GOAT conversation to rest by admitting that he is the greatest of all time.
“Does this now make you the greatest of all time? Are you now the GOAT?” O’Neal asked on TNT’s postgame show, to which James played coy at first.
“I’m going to let everybody else decide who that is or just talk about it, but it’s great barbershop talk,” James said after scoring 38 points in a 133-130 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“I want to hear you say it Bron Bron. … say it with your chest Bron Bron,” O’Neal replied, laughing.
“Listen big fella … me personally, I’m going to take myself,” James said. “I’m going to take myself against anybody that’s ever played this game. But everyone’s going to have their favorite, everyone’s going to decide who their favorite is. But I know what I’ve brought to the table, I know what I bring tot he table every single night and what I can do out on this floor.
“I always feel like I’m the best to ever play this game, but there are so many other great ones and I’m just happy to be a part of their journey.”
The NBA GOAT debate has widely been touted as a James vs. Michael Jordan argument – though, legends such as Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson are considered GOATs in their own right.
It’s a conversation that’s fueled countless social media debates and arguments by sports taking heads for years.
“For me, I think it’s great barber shop talk. It’s going to happen forever and ever,” James said of the GOAT conversation. “If I was the GM of a franchise that was starting up, and I had the No. 1 pick, I would take me. But that’s just me, because I believe in myself. I know what I bring to the table. A guy that’s been able to transform his game over the course of 20 years to be able to play any position in this league, and excel at any position.”
James went on to recall various milestones throughout his career and explained how he’s adapted to the evolution of the league.
“I can play one through five. I’ve led the league in assists,” he said. “I’ve been able to do whatever this game has wanted me to do. And also transform my game as well. When I first got into the league it was very slow. I remember we’d play all game with Detroit [in the 2007 Eastern Conference finals], the game was [scoring] in the 70s. Finals games with San Antonio [scoring] in the 80s. To now, teams score 150 and you have to be able to keep up. And more threes, and things of that nature.
“So just being able to stay with the curve. Changing my game if I needed to, or just improve my game. But that don’t take away from nobody else. So many great players have played this game, and [have] long legacies in this game. This NBA is a beautiful thing and there’s been some beautiful players to play it. But I can’t take nobody over me.”
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James topped the NBA’s all-time scoring list on a fadeaway jumper with 10.9 seconds left in the third quarter as Abdul-Jabbar sat courtside at Crypto.com Arena.
James, who entered the game with 38,352 points, finished with 38 points — two more than what he needed to surpass Abdul-Jabbar’s 38,387 career points. Abdul-Jabbar previously held the record for more than 38 years.
In his 20th NBA season, the 38-year-old James now has 38,890 career points.
