LeBron James and Michael Jordan

The fans of the basketball player must concede. The farce is over. The flimsy argument is no longer valid. James isn't the G.O.A.T. This barbershop debate has been going on for a long time. It's the NBA.

The league named some of its most prestigious awards after greats.

  • The Hakeem Olajuwon Trophy — awarded to the best defensive player of the year.
  • The Jerry West Trophy — awarded to the clutch player of the year.
  • The Wilt Chamberlain Trophy — awarded to the rookie of the year.
  • The John Havlicek Trophy — awarded to the sixth man of the year.
  • The George Mikan Trophy — awarded to the most improved player of the year.

The most valuable player of the league will be named after Michael Jordan. His resume is not good. He was the Most Valuable Player in all of the NBA finals. He could have won more awards. The voters wanted to spread it around. He won the scoring title for 10 straight years. You would not find a bad year if you looked at the statistics. It was deserved by his airness. The league doesn't have a lot of wiggle room when it comes to who it thinks is the best player in the history of the league.

The league couldn't name it after James because he's still playing and it would be awkward to give a trophy out with a current player's name on it It's not true. The NBA could have waited to name it and leave it blank until it was ready to put James' name on it.

The trophies had to be named this week, but there was no deadline. All of it is random. There isn't a rhyme or reason. It is a slap in the face when you consider that James will be the league's all-time leading scorer in the near future.

The NBA powers-that-be could have said, "Let's wait on the award." They could have told themselves that James could win a few more titles. He will be the leader in all offensive categories when he's done. He will have the all- time scoring record.

The NBA could not have predicted that and decided to wait on James. Once these awards are named, it is done. They won't remove someone's name. The NBA did a good job of naming it now. There was an excuse for why James wasn't named. After his career is over, James won't be named. It saves the league criticism from his people who will feel slighted.

The excuse that it couldn't be named after James was accepted by his fans. They don't know what award James will get. They have all been named. The inn has no room for people. Evan Turner, a former NBA player, joked about the league's dislike of King James. He sent out a very cute and funny message.

Turner wrote that the trophy should be named after him if we ever win a bubble title again.

The Lakers won the title in 2020 while James was in the NBA.

The significance of Jordan getting the nod over James isn't downplayed by some. It made such a difference in sports that some in the NHL are considering changing the trophy to the Wayne Gretzky trophy. He is thought to be the greatest hockey player to ever play the game. He is similar to Jordan.

There wouldn't have been this reaction from other leagues if the naming wasn't important. This is a big deal in NBA history. James proclaimed himself the G.O.A.T., but the league saw it differently.

There is no case left.