If you’re a basketball fan, you’re probably familiar with the strong play of Cleveland Cavalier's forward LeBron James in this year’s NBA playoffs. James and the Cavs recently knocked off the Boston Celtics in seven games to go back to the finals for the fourth straight year. This will be LeBron’s eighth-straight finals appearance and arguably his most impressive career accomplishment.
LeBron has almost single-handedly carried his team to the finals in what has been an authentic example of the phrase “putting the team on his back.” The “King,” as LeBron refers to himself as, has taken a team full of role players through the whole Eastern conference and now faces his toughest challenge yet in the Golden State Warriors.
To determine his potential Hall of Fame status, we need to look at LeBron’s full career achievements. He’s won three NBA championships as well as four Most Valuable Player awards. These are the greatest team and individual accomplishments an NBA player can receive, so he is without a doubt quite decorated.
In addition, James has a slew of other achievements that should not go unnoticed including being Rookie of the Year, a fourteen-time all-star, and two-time gold medalist in the Olympics. This impressive resume paired with his recent success had gained him a lot of publicity over the last decade, but James has been crushing the competition since his high school days.
Arguably, some of his greatest accomplishments were being voted Mr. Basketball in Ohio three times in high school! Just because he was not yet playing at the highest level doesn’t mean high school accomplishments are insignificant to Hall of Fame voters.
Unfortunately for James, there are many important awards that he has not won. Two such awards are Sixth Man of the Year and Most Improved Player, which could definitely help his Hall of Fame case if he were to win them in the future.
All in all, LeBron James’ play over the last fourteen years has led him comfortably into the conversation of being a Hall of Fame-er. Hopefully, he could add to his case in the next few years and make it more convincing for the voters when the time comes.
