Will LeBron Be The G.O.A.T If He Surpasses Kareem’s Scoring Record? | Weekly Round-Up
Here are the most crucial NBA news from the week (based on my opinion)
Hey all,
Welcome to the Weekly Round-Up on the Old Man Game Newsletter, where I share with you the best and most crucial NBA stories from the week, plus some other cool stuff.
To kick things off, I want to ask something: Would LeBron James be considered the greatest basketball player of all time if he broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s scoring record?
Would he be greater than Michael Jordan? Bill Russell? Kareem?
Keep in mind that these players all currently have more titles and MVP awards than “The King” does.
I’m asking this because Shaquille O’Neal, in an interview with the Los Angeles Times, believes LeBron would be “the best player — ever” if he achieved this accolade.
“I know what he’s doing,” O’Neal said. “Championships are great, but he’s trying to pass Kareem up. That’s what he is doing. I know exactly what he’s doing. ‘Cause now if you pass Kareem up, it ain’t no talk about who the best player ever is. Think about that? I saw he needed to average [25] points or something like that the next few years, which he will do. He can do that in two more years.”
What do you think about this? Is holding a scoring record more valuable than championship rings and MVP awards? Does it hold more weight than being on All-NBA and All-Defensive teams?
I personally don’t think it does because scoring is only one aspect of the game.
And I understand that LeBron also has all the other stuff too. But he doesn’t have as many as the greats that I listed… yet.
That’s why I still think he wouldn’t be the greatest of all time by scoring more points than Kareem.
But then again, I’m a Jordan fanboy, so I’m biased as hell.
Blog Post of The Week
Do Yoga Like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to Increase Longevity
If you want to prevent injuries and, in turn, be more durable, you have to try doing yoga (or at least stretching flows). This is what NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who rarely got injured and played until 41 years old, believed anyway. Read the blog post to learn his reasoning and how to stretch.
The Wire
The Chicago Bulls Are On Track To Be Great Again
In this article, I share my absolutely biased reason for why the Chicago Bulls are going to break everyone’s expectations. Read it to find out my thoughts.
Grizzlies fall to Lakers despite Ja's 40-10 game: 'Failure builds character'
After a tough loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Memphis Grizzlies’ Ja Morant showed us all the type of leader he is. After missing a game-tying free-throw, Morant took the blame, telling his teammates, “My fault, y’all.” Later, after the competition ended, he tweeted out “failure builds character.” and “i think i needed dat..”
Michael Jordan game-worn rookie sneakers sell for record $1.47M
Everyone knows Jordans are the hottest thing on the market. It’s one the most difficult pairs of sneakers to buy -even the mids, which so many people mock, are hard to find. But even with all that popularity, I did not think a pair of rare Jordans could go for over a million dollars.
Via ESPN:
A pair of game-worn Michael Jordan sneakers from his rookie season sold for $1.472 million to high-end card collector Nick Fiorella on Sunday during Sotheby's Icons of Excellence & Haute Luxury auction in Las Vegas, shattering the record for most expensive game-worn footwear.
Analysis: Pop's still coaching because he's still having fun
Gregg Popovich has been coaching in the NBA as an assistant and as a head coach for over 3 decades. He’s done a lot during that time. For most people, they would’ve retired from their job a loooong time ago. But Pop is still in it. He’s still coaching with the same fire he had when he mentored a young Tim Duncan. And this is the only reason why he’s still in it.
“It’s exciting as hell,” Popovich said.
Chris Paul on Deandre Ayton not getting extension from Suns: 'He knows what he has to do'
The Phoenix Suns’ Chris Paul knows a thing or two about NBA contracts. He’s been in the league for over a decade and was the NBPA (Player’s Union) President. In an interview with Yahoo Sports, he gave some interesting insight into contract negotiations and team chemistry that’s outside the realm of the league.
“Sometimes it can be an outsider, sometimes it can be family members, it can be homies, it can be friends and a lack of communication,” Paul told Yahoo Sports. “When I played for Doc [Rivers], he used to talk about clutter a lot. Monty [Williams] talks about it, too. When you lose a game and you go home, a lot of times everybody in your family thinks it’s everybody else’s fault that you lost. I’ll never forget Doc saying that. It makes sense.”
Paul Pierce on Ben Simmon’s Relationship With Doc Rivers
Looks like the drama in the Philadelphia 76ers’ locker room has reached its apex and the damage that has been caused will not be repairable. On CLNS Media's "The Cedric Maxwell Podcast," Paul Pierce, who won a championship under coach Doc Rivers in Boston, said that a player has to be a real “asshole” for Rivers to toss you out of practice. He’s referring to the news about Ben Simmons refusing to participate in drills and was asked to leave.
"If Doc kick you out of practice, that's bad because I ain't never seen [that]," Pierce said. "I think I've seen Doc kick someone out maybe once. Like Doc ain't gonna kick you out for nothing, you know what I'm saying? You really gotta be an asshоle for Doc to kick you out of practice, 'cause Doc's one of the coolest coaches. He understands the player.”
Old Man Game ‘Da Week
Just For Fun
10 Things Donovan Mitchell Can't Live Without
The Utah Jazz’s Donovan Mitchell recently shared his 10 essentials with GQ Sports and apparently, he’s the (self-proclaimed) greatest UNO player in the world.
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Final Thoughts
Well, that was, once again, a jam-packed week.
Anyway, hope you all have a great rest of your week and I’ll see you all again next week!
Nam