When asked about LeBron James and the GOAT debate, Darvin Ham admits he doesn’t like it. “He’s definitely the GOAT of this era. That’s for damn sure.” But a couple weeks after the conversation with jovanbuha, Ham has seen enough and has an answer.
Ham and James shared a couple of short conversations, with the teenager’s humility shining through. Here James was — the No. 1 overall pick, the Rookie of the Year, already one of the league’s biggest stars, a teenager on top of the world — spending his offseason trying to learn from his elders. He could’ve been partying, vacationing or just being a typical 19-year-old. But instead, he absorbed all he could from the players who were where he wanted to be.
He doesn’t mind players within the same era, though. And thus, it’s clear to him that James is the best player of his generation.Ham is uniquely qualified to weigh in on the Jordan vs. James comparison. He not only played against both of them but also defended them both. He coached against James for over a decade — losing twice to his Cavaliers in the playoffs — before coaching him this season.
“I think it’s, obviously, their passion and love for the game, their competitiveness and the way they take care of their body,” Ham said of the comparison. “When you get into the style of play and all of that, obviously, it’s two different eras. They’re two totally different types of players.” James has remained a top-10 player for virtually all of his career, which has never happened before — even with Jordan and Abdul-Jabbar. They both have more championships, MVPs and NBA Finals MVPs — a strong argument in their favor — but James figured out a way to maintain his greatness longer than either of them could.
“He’s extremely competitive,” Ham said. “When you see a guy like that sitting in your huddle, it gives you all the f—ing confidence in the world. You’re like, ‘OK, we got a chance.’ No matter what the deficit is, if there even is one in the game, he just gives you the ultimate confidence.”
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