LeBron James is the greatest basketball player of all time. Argue with a wall — he’s better than Michael Jordan. This has been a big debate for as long as I can remember, and I’m here to take sides.
James has played 21 years in the NBA — and counting — while Jordan only played 15 years. The 2000s-2010s were a much harder decade than the 1990s, when Jordan played — in popular culture terms, Jordan played with plumbers. While Jordan leads in career points per game, James leads in most other categories, making him a much better overall player.
And before you bring up how many rings Jordan has versus James, Jordan had a considerable amount of more help in the era that he was playing than James ever did with the teams he’s played for.
However, The Athletic — as well as many other websites — ranks James as the second greatest player of all time, behind Jordan. This infuriates me. How could they do that to LeBron James, who I believe is the greatest basketball player of all time? If I could’ve voted for these lists I would’ve picked James a thousand times over.
Now, most of us aren’t NBA players or sports analysts, so we wouldn’t be able to vote on something like this.
But do you know what we can all vote for? This year’s election!
As silly as the basketball G.O.A.T. debate is, choices are made and lists are created because people vote for them. If everyone decided that LeBron James is the greatest of all time — which they should — people could vote for him and he’d be number one instead of Jordan.
That’s how powerful a vote can be, and it’s absolutely applicable to what happens in this year’s election.
While the basketball debate probably won’t affect your everyday life — unless you’re a Bronsexual — voting in political elections can affect it. Don’t be negligent of your livelihood, get educated on the candidates and place your vote — it matters more than you think.
For instance, the overturning of Roe v. Wade has been one of the biggest political topics in the past two years.
If you didn’t like this ruling, you have the power to vote for people who could reinstate the case. And on the other side of the political spectrum, if you’re concerned about how open the border is, you can vote for politicians that can address this topic.
This is the beauty of living in a country like ours because we’re able to have individuals who care about a multitude of topics and are able to represent us in the ways we want.
Even if you don’t particularly want to vote in the Presidential election, your local elections are even more important because those candidates can directly affect your livelihood.
It’s incredibly frustrating when people tell me, “I’m not voting because I’m not sure who to vote for.” That’s ignorance. We all have a conscience to make decisions and we should use it.
Now, there’s been a decline in political efficacy in our nation, meaning that people don’t feel their vote has an impact. While this is natural due to the polarization of our politics, change can happen, even if it doesn’t look or feel like the change is coming.
In Malaysia — my home nation — the same political party has controlled parliament since 1957, when it got its independence from Britain. People were growing tired of the laws that this party was making, and they wanted change. Election year after election year, people tried to flip the party but they were never able to. It wasn’t until 2018 that the opposing party was able to gain a majority after 60 years of trying. The citizens never gave up, and they were able to get what they wanted politically by voting.
So go vote! It’s your right. Now more than ever is the perfect time to vote and make a difference.
One day we might live in a world where we won’t be able to cast our vote, and that’s a world that I don’t want to live in. Democracy is built on the ability of its citizens to make their voices known, and the best way we can do that is by voting.
I’m sure LeBron James will be casting his vote this year, and he’ll be counting on you to cast yours too.
Joshua Abraham is a kinesiology junior and opinion writer for The Battalion.
Jim Blande '66 • Oct 31, 2024 at 6:28 am
I fully agree with your primary premise Josh, and support the idea that we should all get out and vote in the 2024 election, but your choice of LJ over MJ as the greatest player of NBA history discloses your youthful bias for what you have seen in your lifetime. MJ was (and may still be) far more talented than LJ. Yes, he was surrounded by talent and a great coach on those Bulls teams, but he was a team player unlike LJ who it appears to me is only out to glorify LJ. That MJ played only 15 years was his choice. He probably could have played for many more years but he moved on to the rest of his life. Unfortunately, since LJ’s teenage years when ESPN made a super star out of a 16 year old Akron, OH high school player, LJ only knows basketball. Plus, he probably wants to shepherd his son in the league too. But Josh, The Atlantic and all the other sports authorities got it right. MJ is by far the best basketball talent ever.