Who Is the Second Best Player in NBA History?

Many experts and fans alike have argued over who the second best player in NBA history is. Some say it’s LeBron James, while others believe it’s Kobe Bryant. There are a few other players who have been considered for the title, but the debate continues. Who do you think is the second best player in NBA history?

LeBron James

LeBron James is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is widely considered to be one of the greatest players in NBA history. James has won four NBA championships, four NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) Awards, four Finals MVP Awards, and two Olympic gold medals.

His accomplishments

LeBron Raymone James Sr. (/ləˈbrɒn/; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is widely considered to be one of the greatest players in NBA history. Discussions ranking him as the greatest basketball player of all time have often been subject to significant debate, with frequent comparisons to Michael Jordan. James’s teams have competed in eight NBA Finals (2011–2018), winning four of them. He has played for three teams, all in his home state of Ohio: the Cleveland Cavaliers, from 2003 to 2010; the Miami Heat, from 2010 to 2014; and the Cavaliers again, from 2014 to 2018.

Born and raised in Akron, Ohio, James played amateur basketball for St. Vincent–St. Mary High School in his hometown, where he was heavily promoted in the national media as a future NBA superstar. After graduating, he was selected by the Cavaliers with the first overall pick of the 2003 NBA draft. He then helped lead Cleveland to their first-ever NBA Finals appearance in 2005 and their maiden title in 2016, becoming one of only three players ever to win an NBA championship with three franchises (the others being John Salley and Robert Horry). In 2018, he led LeBron James teammate Tyronn Lue and the Cavs to their fourth straight Finals appearance and seventh overall.

During his seventeen seasons so far in the league, James has won four MVP Awards (2009, 2010, 2012, 2013), two Finals MVP Awards (2012, 2013), two Olympic gold medals (2012, 2016), an NCAA championship (2003), and five All-Star Game MVP Awards (2006, 2008, 2018–2020). He has also been selected to fifteen All-Star Teams and thirteen All-NBA Teams. His accomplishments and playing style have led many pundits to regard him as one of if not THE greatest player of all time.

His individual stats

LeBron Raymone James Sr. (/ləˈbrɒn/; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is widely considered to be one of the greatest basketball players in NBA history,[8][9][10] and has been frequently compared to Michael Jordan in debates over the greatest basketball player of all time. Scottie Pippen,[11] a teammate and contemporary of Jordan, described James as “the best player in the world” in 2017.[12]

Standing at 6 feet 8 inches (2.03 m) and weighing 250 pounds (113 kg),[13] he plays the small forward and point guard positions. James was drafted out of high school by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the first overall pick in the 2003 NBA draft. He spent his first three seasons in Cleveland, winning Rookie of the Year honors in 2004. LeBron helped lead Cleveland to their first Finals appearance in 2007, losing to San Antonio Spurs. After failing to return to the Finals for five seasons, he departed from Cleveland in 2010 join fellow All-Stars Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh on the Miami Heat.

LeBron won his first two NBA championships while playing for Miami, earning back-to-back Finals MVP titles in 2012 and 2013. After his fourth season with Miami, James led a second departure from Cleveland when he returned to play for his original team from 2014 to 2018. In 2016, he played a starring role on team that won an NBA-record 73 games en route to defeating the Golden State Warriors in the Finals, giving him a third championship as well as his second Finals MVP title overall.[14][15] One year later, James helped lead Cleveland to victory once again over Golden State – this time by overcoming a 3–1 deficit – becoming finals champion for a fourth time and logging his seventh straight trip to and eighth overall Finals appearance, thus becoming the first team ever in league history to do so.[16][17][18] He then reached reached nine straight Finals appearances after leading the Lakers to victory over Golden State in 2020.[19][20]

In 2020, James proved instrumental during yet another title run; averaging 25 points per game during playoff series against Portland,[21] Houston,[22] and Denver; as well as 27 points against Seattle during The Finals.[23][24][25] His contributions throughout all 27 playoff games played that year helped him earn his fourth championship with Los Angeles – giving him more finals wins than any other player in franchise history – as well as garnering him a record-equaling fourth Finals MVP honor.[26][27] With this win, he also became only the second player ever after Jordan himself to win an NBA championship with three different franchises; as well as becoming only one of two players ever alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar[28] to win at least four finals MVPs with two different franchises.[29][30]”

Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan is considered by many to be the greatest basketball player of all time. However, there is always someone who is considered the second best. In the case of the NBA, that player is often considered to be LeBron James.

His accomplishments

During his fifteen seasons in the NBA, Michael Jordan won six championships with the Chicago Bulls. He was named the NBA Finals MVP each time the Bulls won the title. Jordan was also named the NBA MVP a record five times. He was selected to fourteen NBA All-Star teams and was named to the All-Star MVP squad six times. Jordan’s individual accomplishments are staggering. He is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer and holds the league records for career scoring average (30.1 points per game) and steals (2,514). He also holds Chicago Bulls franchise records for points, assists, and steals.

His individual stats

Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American former professional basketball player who is the principal owner and chairman of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played 15 seasons in the NBA, winning six championships with the Chicago Bulls. His biography on the official NBA website states: “By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time.” Jordan was one of the most effectively marketed athletes of his generation and was considered instrumental in popularizing the NBA around the world in the 1980s and 1990s.

Jordan played three seasons for coach Dean Smith at the University of North Carolina. As a freshman, he was a member of the Tar Heels’ national championship team in 1982. Jordan joined the Bulls in 1984 as the third overall draft pick. He quickly emerged as a league star and entertained crowds with his prolific scoring. His leaping ability, demonstrated by performing slam dunks from the free throw line in Slam Dunk Contests, earned him nicknames such as “Air Jordan” and “His Airness”. He also gained a reputation for being one of the best defensive players in basketball. In 1991, he won his first NBA championship with the Bulls, followed by titles in 1992 and 1993. Although Jordan abruptly retired from basketball before beginning another comeback at age 32 in 1995, he returned to form for several more seasons with increased team success. By 1999, he participated on yet another Bulls championship team.

In 1984, Jordan averaged 28.2 points per game (ppg) on 51.5% shooting from 2-point range (2FG%), 38.3% from 3-point range (3FG%), and 83.5% from free throws (FT%). He led all rookies and finished third overall among all league scorers.[1] He also became just one of four players ever to average 28+ points per game while shooting 50% or better from both 2 FG% and 3 FG%, joining Wilt Chamberlain (twice), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (twice), and Bob McAdoo.[2]

1 ^ https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/jordami01/gamelog-1984/
2 ^ https://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/fg_pct_rookie_min1_tot.html

Other contenders

When discussing the second best player in NBA history, there are a few contenders that come to mind. These include players like LeBron James, Magic Johnson, and Kobe Bryant. All of these players have had great careers and have done things that other players have not been able to do.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr., is an American former professional basketball player who played 20 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers. During his career as a center, Abdul-Jabbar was a record six-time NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP), a record 19-time NBA All-Star, a 15-time All-NBA selection, and an 11-time NBA All-Defensive Team member. A member of six NBA championship teams as a player and two as an assistant coach, Abdul-Jabbar twice was voted NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player. He ranks second all-time in both total points scored and blocks.

For his contributions to basketball, he has been honored with numerous distinctions. In 1996, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. In 2004, he was elected to the NBA’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team; Abdul-Jabbar is one of only four players to receive1 this honor (the others being Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird). In 2009, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama. In 2012, he was inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame.

Bill Russell

Bill Russell was selected as the NBA’s Most Valuable Player a record 11 times, and he won an unheard-of 10 championships in his 13 seasons with the Boston Celtics. So why isn’t he considered the best player in NBA history?

There are a few reasons. First, Russell played during the Golden Age of basketball, when there were far fewer teams and players than there are today. This meant that the level of competition was not as high as it is now. Second, Russell was a center, which is historically not as valued a position as point guard or shooting guard. And third, Russell played during an era when defense was emphasized more than offense.

Don’t get us wrong: Bill Russell is an all-time great. But when it comes to the title of best player in NBA history, he falls just short.

Magic Johnson

Maximum national recognition came to Magic Johnson following his junior season at Everett when he was named to the 1980 U.S. Olympic team by legendary coach Hank Iba. As a 19-year-old starting point guard, Johnson helped lead the U.S. to a gold medal in the 1981 FIBA World Championships in Colombia, and wasselected as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996.

Why LeBron James is the second best player in NBA history

There can be no doubt that LeBron James is one of the greatest players in NBA history. He has achieved a level of individual and team success that is unprecedented, and he shows no signs of slowing down. But is he the greatest player of all time? Many people would say yes, but there are others who would put him second, behind only Michael Jordan.

There are a few reasons why LeBron might be considered the second best player in NBA history. First, he has not been as successful as Jordan in terms of winning championships. Jordan won six titles with the Chicago Bulls, while LeBron has won three with the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers. Second, Jordan was a more dominant individual player than LeBron has been. Jordan was a scorer first and foremost, while LeBron is more of a playmaker. And finally, Jordan was able to translate his individual success into team success in a way that LeBron has not always been able to do.

Of course, there are also many reasons why LeBron James is the greatest player in NBA history. He is younger than Jordan and so he still has time to rack up more championships. He is already considered one of the most complete players ever, due to his ability to score, rebound, pass, and defend at an elite level. And his impact goes beyond just basketball; he is one of the most popular athletes in the world and has used his platform to promote social causes that he cares about.

In the end, it’s up to each individual to decide who they think is the greatest player in NBA history. But there can be no doubt that LeBron James is one of the all-time greats.