“He might clearly still be the best player in the NBA” - Paul Pierce shockingly claims LeBron is still the top player in the world

Entering the NBA straight out of high school, LeBron James was one of those prospects that arrive once in a generation. Over two decades later, he is still putting up top performances night in and night out while his classmates have been long retired. And the best part? His tank appears as full as it's ever been.

At 39, James keeps proving that age is just a number and that he can still be relied upon at the NBA or the international level. Recently in Team USA's pre-Olympic final tune-up game against Germany, No. 6 stepped up in the final stretch of the game to hand his team a close victory. It led to high praise from everyone, including his former rival and Boston Celtics legend Paul Pierce , who recently made a bold claim.

"He might clearly still be the best player in the NBA," Pierce said during an episode of "UNDISPUTED." If one of these teams gets hot and scores 15 or 16 threes, the U.S. could be in trouble. But the good thing about it is they know if it comes down to it and it gets to be a close game, they know who they turn to. It's not [Kevin] Durant. It's not [Steph] Curry. It's not [Joel] Embiid, It's LeBron, and they found out that early."

A record-breaking career

With four NBA championships, four MVP awards, 20 All-Star appearances, and the NBA's all-time scoring record, James is already viewed by many as the greatest player of all time and has shown countless times that he can still be relied upon. Entering year 22, he shows no signs of decline. Last season, he averaged 25.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 8.3 assists per game, which means that except for his rookie year, LeBron has averaged over 25 points in almost two decades of playing professional basketball.

The debate about the four-time MVP's current standing in the league is not just about stats, however. It's about the influence he wields on and off the court. Even during an era that has seen phenomenal players like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry dominate headlines, one man has always been called 'the king' — and it's No. 23.

Gold in sight

The latest challenge for James is to lead Team USA to the Olympic Gold medal — something that is more or less their birthright, having won 16 out of a possible 20 Gold medals. It makes them the team to beat. This edition of the Olympics features strong opposition to Team USA as 61 NBA players (excl. Team USA) are set to participate. However, having won all five of their test games, James and Co. are favorites again to clinch gold, and Pierce believes the Lakers power forward has all it takes to lead the team.

"That's LeBron James," the Boston legend added. "I don't care if he's thirty, forty, fifty, that's LeBron James. You expect him to pick us up, and bring us home because that's who he is."

The 6-foot-9 forward scored Team USA's final 11 points in their 92-88 victory over Germany. That's the kind of reliance that the team hopes to get from him in the coming weeks. It's been a busy summer for the NBA's all-time leading scorer, but he looks to take full advantage of a legacy-enhancing opportunity on tap.

Related: LeBron James after Team USA barely beat South Sudan in an exhibition game: "I like those ones better than the blowouts"