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Pat Riley, Who Coached Magic Johnson and Kareem, Makes GOAT Case for LeBron James: “He’s Michael, He’s Magic, He’s Kobe”

Published 01/29/2022, 9:30 AM EST

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USA Today via Reuters

LeBron James is in his 19th season as a professional and there’s no denying that he is a generational star. James has been an evergreen presence in the NBA for the past two decades and will certainly go down as one of the NBA greats. He is 37 but is showing no signs of stopping, as he has made his case for the MVP conversation this season.

King James continues to defy all odds and has recently become the first NBA player to have recorded 30,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, and 9,000 assists. However, the Lakers are struggling this season and are currently on 24-26 this season. But that doesn’t change the fact that James has been incredible this season and continues to deliver.

USA Today via Reuters

James is currently third in the all-time scoring list behind Karl Malone and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and has a good chance of dethroning Kareem before retirement. Miami Heat president, Pat Riley, has recently opened up on James’ greatness and admitted that he’s a mix of several top NBA greats.

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Pat Riley praises LeBron James, admits he’s a mix of Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant

Pat Riley played an important role in bringing James to the Miami-based franchise in 2010. He has recently praised James and admitted that he’s in a class of his own.

“LeBron is in a class of his own. He is absolutely unique. He’s Michael, he’s Magic, he’s Kobe, he’s Jerry West, he’s Bill Russell,” Pat Riley said via NBA75 stories.

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“You take all of these great, great players and put them in a blender, and mix them up. LeBron’s got something from all of them in him.”

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After ‘The Decision’ in 2010, James joined Miami Heat in a controversial move away from the Cavaliers. However, the move paid off as he reached four consecutive NBA Finals with the Heat, winning two-straight titles. James formed an elite trio with Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade at the Heat, which is often touted as one of the best teams assembled in the NBA.

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However, James returned to Cleveland Cavaliers in 2014 and made amends for his controversial move away from the city back in 2010. He then delivered the city’s first professional championship in 52 years by winning the NBA title in 2016.

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Written by:

Abhishek Singh

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Abhishek is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports with over two years of journalistic experience with Chase Your Sport and Dribl. A Football Management graduate, he has previously interned in the Indian Super League, I-League and the AFC Champions League. In addition to being a Michael Jordan fan, Abhishek is an ardent Steph Curry and Warriors guy, and believes they have a few more championships in store before the former retires.
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