enters the dunk competition in 2013-14 fans are going to get something more exciting than a player jumping over the sponsor ' s automobile.
The leaping ability and strength that LeBron would have on display during the dunk competition are reasons to think he could be one of the best athletes in the world today, possibly the very best. During the NBA lockout there were NFL teams being asked about the 6-8, 250lbs James and the opinion was that they wouldn ' t mind having him play tight end. Some thought James could be a wide receiver. Former NFL superstar Joe Theismann said James could be a quarterback in the National Football League. James would certainly have the height to see over defenses, the agility to move around the pocket to avoid sacks, the strength to pound the ball on the ground for a first down and his NBA point forward skills have shown he can pass a ball.
James is quicker than any power lifter and stronger than any Olympic sprinter, if he was living in a different part of the world he might be a dominant rugby player and would be likely to destroy the Ninja Warrior obstacle course if he took that on. He could win a Gold Glove in the outfield if he played baseball, and while his strike zone would be very large he would be an awesome player for a baseball manager to have on his roster. As tall as Randy Johnson while as strong as Albert Pujols, as agile as Ozzie Smith and as quick as Rickey Henderson, even if James couldn ' t hit a curveball he could be a great pinch runner or defensive replacement. When Esquire ranked their Best Athletes of 2012 they had LeBron in third spot, with tennis player Roger Federer in the top spot and boxer Manny Pacquiao in second position. The sportsmen ranked ahead of LeBron have peaked and are on the way down while LeBron is just hitting the age when his skills and game will be at their best.
While James is the best athlete in the NBA, and possibly all sports, at this time he might also become the very best in history. When ESPN listed their SportsCentury Top Athletes it was Michael Jordan in first spot followed by Babe Ruth, Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown and Wayne Gretzky. If James wins a few more championships, and more scoring titles too, he could be talked about as an athlete at that exalted level.
ESPN Sports Science went with Bo Jackson as the greatest athlete ever, next was Jim Brown with Jackie Robinson and Michael Jordan after that. While Bo may know about many things, longevity isn ' t one of them so LeBron James has him beat in that category. Something James does have in common with the former football and baseball superstar is that when he plays his sport he looks like a man among boys. LeBron James can play the point guard position, or run the offense from a forward spot, with a similar body to what Karl Malone had.
How good James really is compared to all other current NBA players is evident in his statistics, and he doesn ' t really play the game to pad his stats like some players can. For assists in 2012- 13, LeBron had the same average as Ricky Rubio. Out of the top twenty players for assists per game, LeBron who was ranked in the middle of that group and was the only player who was not a point guard. While Carmelo Anthony led the NBA in scoring, he needed to take more than four more shots per game than LeBron to do it. For rebounds per game James was ranked just behind Roy Hibbert and a couple of spots ahead of Marc Gasol. LeBron was even ranked among the leaders for three-point percentage, only five spots behind Dirk Nowtizki among those who played enough games to qualify for the rankings. James was also tenth in the NBA for steals.
Sports Passion The Magazine | 17 August 2013 | Issue No. 1