LeBron James takes spot as the best basketball player ever over Michael Jordan

In a career marked by a relentless pursuit of excellence that’s always included a debate as to whether NBA legend Michael Jordan was the greatest of all time or LeBron James, a small, yet seismic shift has been made.

HoopsHype.com , updating its GOAT rankings for the fourth time since the release of the NBA75 list, has selected Akron native LeBron James the No. 1 player on its list as chosen by the site’s staff members.

On prior lists, James came in just behind Jordan. What accounts for the change?

LeBron will always have Paris – as in the 2024 Paris Olympics .

James’ case for the top spot was already compelling considering he’s still playing top-level hoops after two decades in the NBA. However, by marching into Paris with Team USA and coming home with the gold medal, he refreshed the debate.

It’s not difficult to understand why it’s even less of a debate considering James left the international tournament with the FIBA Olympics Most Valuable Player.

James averaged 14.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 8.5 assists and 1.3 steals in six tournament games in the Olympics and was often the steadying hand on the court and its most clutch player. This coming after more than two decades in the league and on the world stage.

While we still consider Michael Jordan to have a higher peak than LeBron, at this point we have to bow down to King James and finally move him up one spot to the top of our GOAT list ahead of MJ. His advantage in terms of sustained excellence is just too big to ignore, with LeBron at No. 1 and far ahead of His Airness in an increasing number of accolades and statistical categories.

Hoopshype.com

It’s certainly difficult to discount longevity when it continues to be married with excellence.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: LeBron James takes spot as the best basketball player ever over Michael Jordan