Former Boston Celtics star Paul Pierce has outlined a scenario where he would consider LeBron James the greatest basketball player of all time (GOAT).
Pierce believes that if James, at 39 years old, can lead the struggling Los Angeles Lakers to an NBA championship from the ninth seed in the Western Conference, it would solidify his status as the GOAT.
Such an achievement would be unprecedented in NBA history, as no team below the sixth seed has ever clinched the title.
“I will say this. This would be his greatest feat,” Pierce said on Undisputed. “We’ve seen him come back from 3-1 on a 73-win Warriors team. But come on, he’s 39-years-old, the Lakers are in the ninth slot. No seed under the sixth seed Rocket in ’94-95 have won a title.
“So if that’s the case, he’s going to have two of the greatest feats ever accomplished in NBA history, which is coming back from a 3-1 deficit in the Finals, which has never been done, and also a team below the sixth seed winning a championship. Now if that doesn’t tell you the GOAT of all GOATs, then I don’t know what does. Despite what [Michael] Jordan has done.
“And then you look at all the numbers. He’s broken every record, All-Star, regular season minutes, points. At some you just got to say ‘Good Lord, what more does this guy got to do?’ I’m one of those guys.”
