It started in Sacramento: LeBron James, back in NBA Finals, makes our all-time starting 5
Still charging down court and down the backstretch of his career while defying defenders and age: LeBron James.
How does this man not slow down? He’s losing his hair, but not his gusto. He is 35 and his legend grows. We should embrace it.
That’s a difficult concept for Kings fans who are conditioned to despise all things Lakers, but this sort of star power comes around only so often. Kings fans broke in the first Arco Arena and their first taste of the sporting big time during the 1985-86 season by giving standing ovations to aging, visiting stars Julius Erving and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
They cheered because they appreciated greatness.
James leaves a lot of us to wonder how he rates as an all-time great. He has to remain in that conversation. He calmly bled out the Denver Nuggets with passes, post-up moves and 3-point shooting to cap a 4-1 Western Conference Finals effort in powering Los Angeles into the NBA Finals. The man is getting older but he’s not old news.
The great ones seize the moment. James has done this since his teenage days, and here he is still on top of his craft as he touches his third decade in the NBA. He blocked Andre Iguodala’s shot in the closing moments that helped the Cleveland Cavaliers stun the home-team Golden State Warriors in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals, elevating his status and the hard-luck city to its first championship. That was four years ago. The Warriors finally slowed down. James has not.
This is his 10th trek to the NBA’s grand stage, his first with Los Angeles. He has achieved this with five different coaches. James has called this his most challenging season, given the Bubble playoff situation with all teams camped in Orlando.
Boston Celtics greats such as Bill Russell and Sam Jones reached the NBA Finals 12 and 11 times, respectively, in an era in which the NBA had just nine teams. Abdul-Jabbar reached 10 Finals, eight with the Lakers, when the NBA was very much a big-man’s game.
Jame is a difference maker like Magic, Jordan, Bird and Kareem. He carried Cleveland to the Finals five times, but who remembers the rest of his supporting cast on any of those teams? He led Miami to the Finals four times, winning two, but can you name other starters outside Dwyane Wade?
This Lakers team is star-studded with James and Anthony Davis, and they are surrounded by spare parts. Who will remember the supporting cast should the Lakers topple the Heat in these Finals?
LeBron’s NBA debut was in Sacramento
James made his NBA debut in Sacramento at a packed-in, raucous Arco Arena, hailed as a sure thing. He was not given a standing ovation then — he was booed — but he was admired.
It was Oct. 29, 2003. I covered that game for The Sacramento Bee, including the game story as our friend Marty McNeal was out sick, “cover for me, dog. I’m out,” he said then. “It won’t be boring.”
It wasn’t.
The Kings were still elite then, and they beat the Cavaliers 106-92. James dazzled in offering a glimpse of how good he could and would become. The 6-foot-8, 18-year old had 25 points, nine assists and six rebounds against the Kings as 350 credentialed media members squeezed in.
Jerry Reynolds, the Kings guru of many hats, said then that the only other player he saw that was NBA ready at 18 was Oscar Robertson, though the Big O went to college before settling into his Hall of Fame run. After a shootaround in Sacramento the night before, James insisted that he was not a fan of the NBA. OK. But he grew into one in a hurry.
Kings captain Vlade Divac said that night that he did not approve of high school players jumping into the NBA because the hurdles could be too steep. Divac did say he was impressed with James’ maturity and approach.
“I wish LeBron a lot of luck because he’s going to need it,” Divac said that night by his locker. “I have concerns about young players in this league. LeBron will make it in this league, but there’s so much pressure on him.”
James has handled the grind admirably. He feeds off of it. The great ones do.
Our all-time NBA starting 5, plus a few more
If I’m picking an all-time NBA starting lineup, here’s who I hit the floor with:
Point guard: Magic Johnson — The ultimate floor leader, ball handler, passer, leader, personality and champion. Magic led the Lakers to nine NBA Finals, winning five. He could play any position.
Shooting guard: Michael Jordan — Relentless in scoring, in defending, in leadership and winning. Jordan and the Chicago Bulls went 6-0 in the NBA Finals while owning the 1990s.
Small forward: LeBron James — Ageless, timeless, relentless. James at 35 can score inside and out, handle the ball, finish with the ball, and has his third team in the Finals.
Power forward: Larry Bird — Yes, he could also play small forward, and James would be seamless at power forward, but in this game, just unleash your five best and go with it. The former Boston Celtics star’s overall skill set and drive is as good as anyone has ever witnessed.
Center: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — Graceful and skilled, Kareem could run, rebound, set off the break with outlet passes and he could score. Man, could he score, finishing as the NBA’s all-time most prolific performer, punctuated by the never-duplicated hook shot.
Sixth man: Tim Duncan — Smooth, efficient, effective, bright. The Big Fundamental, who led the San Antonio Spurs to five titles, would fit in nicely here.
And one more: Dennis Rodman — Never mind the antics. Every team needs a ferocious stopper and rebounder. The Worm qualifies.
This story was originally published September 30, 2020 at 4:00 AM.