{"id":908,"date":"2016-06-23T11:30:03","date_gmt":"2016-06-23T14:30:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/otaviopinto.com\/?p=908"},"modified":"2024-04-26T19:10:51","modified_gmt":"2024-04-26T22:10:51","slug":"bill-simmons-lebron-kareem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/otaviopinto.com\/index.php\/2016\/06\/23\/bill-simmons-lebron-kareem\/","title":{"rendered":"Bill Simmons claims Lebron has surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (the journalist should have paid more attention to what Dr.J said to him)"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"padding-bottom:20px; padding-top:10px;\" class=\"hupso-share-buttons\"><!-- Hupso Share Buttons - https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/ --><a class=\"hupso_counters\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/lang\/pt\/share-small.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top:2px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\"\/><\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var hupso_services_c=new Array(\"twitter\",\"facebook_like\",\"facebook_send\",\"pinterest\",\"email\",\"print\",\"linkedin\");var hupso_counters_lang = \"pt_BR\";var hupso_image_folder_url = \"\";var hupso_twitter_via=\"blogdootavio\";var hupso_url_c=\"\";var hupso_title_c=\"Bill%20Simmons%20claims%20Lebron%20has%20surpassed%20Kareem%20Abdul-Jabbar%20%28the%20journalist%20should%20have%20paid%20more%20attention%20to%20what%20Dr.J%20said%20to%20him%29\";<\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/js\/counters.js\"><\/script><!-- Hupso Share Buttons --><\/div><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Yesterday (6\/22\/2016), in the debut of his HBO show \u201cAny given Wednesday\u201d, the competent journalist Bill Simmons, known as an expert on the history of the NBA, boldly claimed that Lebron James already is at least among the 3 all-time NBA greatest players, and that his first 13 NBA seasons: \u201cwere greater than anyone\u2019s else\u2019s first 13 seasons: 4 MVP\u2019s, 3 Finals MVP\u2019&#8217;, 6 straight finals, 9 straight All NBA first team selections, one historic comeback, and he\u2019s the most durable NBA superstar ever. He has never suffered a major injury. He has logged almost 47.000 minutes in 13 seasons. Only Wilt Chamberlain had a bigger workload and he was going against a bunch of scrawny white guys (note: sad to see an expert repeat popular legends; \u201cscrawny white guys\u201d like <a href=\"http:\/\/44d5i01rkpt329p8yqqf89h5.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/Nate-Thurmond-1.jpg\">Nate Thurmond?<\/a>). Lebron James is on pace to become the GOAT. Look, for real, it\u2019s between him, MJ and Russell. He already passed Kareem. He has even passed my heroes: Bird and Magic\u201d.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Any Given Wednesday with Bill Simmons: LeBron on track to become the GOAT (HBO)\" width=\"616\" height=\"347\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/vdCu2C6_4iQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Before commenting on Bill Simmons words (by the way, I really like his work), it is essential to read part of the interview that he did with the great Julius Erving (Dr. J) in 2013 (to hear the complete version, <a href=\"http:\/\/espn.go.com\/espnradio\/grantland\/player?id=10167623\">click here<\/a>):<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_2529\" style=\"width: 209px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3WjIz1m\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2529\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2529\" src=\"https:\/\/otaviopinto.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/nbapt-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"199\" height=\"278\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-2529\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Click on the above picture to buy interesting books about the NBA<\/p><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Simmons: Who do you think out of the guys from your generation, do you think Moses was probably the most underrated?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Dr. J &#8211;\u00a0Well, Moses is the most underrated because\u2026 Kareem is the greatest. I mean in terms of centers of all time, Kareem is the number one guy.\u00a0 In terms of players all time, Kareem is still the number one guy.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Simmons \u2014 Really?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Dr. J\u00a0\u2014 He\u2019s the guy you got start your franchise with.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Simmons \u2014 Because you get 20 years.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Dr. J \u2014\u00a0You get 20 years and you get leadership, you get excellence in terms of offensively and defensively and figuring things out and accomplishments. I mean, you know, his numbers speak volumes. And just because he had a bad attitude, there\u2019s a lot of people who disrespect him. But he never had a bad attitude with me. And you know I\u2019ve met him back in 1970 and I don\u2019t think there has ever been a more potent weapon to step on a basketball court than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Whatever it\u2019s Lew Alcindor or Kareem Abdul Jabbar, you talk about disrespected, underrated, left out of conversations. You, I mean, I seat with a roundtable over at TNT. Kareem wasn\u2019t in the conversation and they were talking about centers. I\u2019m like: out you for real? (chuckles) How can you do that?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Simmons \u2014\u00a0He can\u2019t be lower than third all time. Just can\u2019t. Plus he won\u2026 How many MVP\u2019s did he win? Like 7? And he won like 5 titles. Or maybe he won more than that. He might have won 6 titles. Yeah, the record speaks for itself. I hate the Lakers, so it\u2019s tough for me to admit, but Kareem, you can\u2019t deny the stats. You can\u2019t deny the numbers.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Dr. J \u2014\u00a0See, stats sometimes don\u2019t tell the whole story<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Simmons \u2014\u00a0That\u2019s true. I\u2019m just saying the sheer resume.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Dr. J \u2014\u00a0But when you have the stats and you have the story.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Simmons \u2014\u00a0And the titles.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Dr. J \u2014\u00a0Come on.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Simmons \u2014\u00a0Yeah.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Dr. J: Why be a hater? I mean, you know.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Simmons \u2014 Right.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">I think we can tell that Bill Simmons did not pay the right amount attention to the wise words of Dr. J, because he dismisses Kareem when he considers him to be already surpassed by Lebron. However, it is important to say that I do not underrate the great Cavaliers superstar; certainly he is already among the top 10, or perhaps even 5, greatest of all time.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">So, let\u2019s now go back to Bill Simmons arguments for such statement. Initially, he said that no one has ever had better first 13 years than Lebron. What? How can Simmons be so contradictory? Well, Bill Russell\u2019s (a player among the top 3 best ever, according to Simmons) career lasted exactly 13 years (with 11 titles and 5 MVP\u2019s). Why isn\u2019t Lebron already greater than Russell then? There possibly enters, not the great journalist, but the Celtic&#8217;s fan and self-proclaimed Lakers hater. There might also be the reason why he dares to say that Lebron passed Kareem.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Like I have written in a <a href=\"https:\/\/otaviopinto.com\/index.php\/2015\/11\/11\/the-best-basketball-player-of-all-time-according-to-nba-legends\/\">previous post<\/a>, even if I personally disagrees, I do believe that Kareem has arguments to be considered greater than even Jordan (let alone Lebron, who has less titles and MVP\u2019s): superior longevity (final\u2019s MVP at 38); winning the same 6 titles as Jordan; NBA all time leading scorer; most MVP\u2019s in NBA history (6, one more than MJ); had the skyhook in his arsenal, the most effective and unguardable shot in basketball\u2019s history (not perfectly emulated to this day; even a great shooter and legendary player like\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/espn.go.com\/blog\/dallas\/mavericks\/post\/_\/id\/4703195\/dirk-sky-hook-still-a-work-in-progress\">Dirk Nowitzki has stated how tough the skyhook is to master)<\/a>. By the way, about Kareem\u2019s resume, how doesn\u2019t Simmons, a known NBA expert, know off the top of his head the number of MVP\u2019s and rings won by Jabbar? Unbelievable!<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Does all this mean that Lebron may never surpass Kareem? Of course not. But to claim he has already done is to disrespect the deeds of the great center. If, according to Simmons own words, \u201cthe record speaks for itself\u201d, \u201cyou can\u2019t deny the numbers\u201d, \u201cyou can\u2019t deny the stats\u201d of Jabbar, we can use Dr. J arguments to ask Bill Simmons: \u201cWhy be a hater?&#8221;.<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding-bottom:20px; padding-top:10px;\" class=\"hupso-share-buttons\"><!-- Hupso Share Buttons - https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/ --><a class=\"hupso_counters\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/lang\/pt\/share-small.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top:2px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\"\/><\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var hupso_services_c=new Array(\"twitter\",\"facebook_like\",\"facebook_send\",\"pinterest\",\"email\",\"print\",\"linkedin\");var hupso_counters_lang = \"pt_BR\";var hupso_image_folder_url = \"\";var hupso_twitter_via=\"blogdootavio\";var hupso_url_c=\"\";var hupso_title_c=\"Bill%20Simmons%20claims%20Lebron%20has%20surpassed%20Kareem%20Abdul-Jabbar%20%28the%20journalist%20should%20have%20paid%20more%20attention%20to%20what%20Dr.J%20said%20to%20him%29\";<\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/js\/counters.js\"><\/script><!-- Hupso Share Buttons --><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div style=\"padding-bottom:20px; padding-top:10px;\" class=\"hupso-share-buttons\"><!-- Hupso Share Buttons - https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/ --><a class=\"hupso_counters\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/lang\/pt\/share-small.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top:2px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\"\/><\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var hupso_services_c=new Array(\"twitter\",\"facebook_like\",\"facebook_send\",\"pinterest\",\"email\",\"print\",\"linkedin\");var hupso_counters_lang = \"pt_BR\";var hupso_image_folder_url = \"\";var hupso_twitter_via=\"blogdootavio\";var hupso_url_c=\"\";var hupso_title_c=\"Bill%20Simmons%20claims%20Lebron%20has%20surpassed%20Kareem%20Abdul-Jabbar%20%28the%20journalist%20should%20have%20paid%20more%20attention%20to%20what%20Dr.J%20said%20to%20him%29\";<\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/js\/counters.js\"><\/script><!-- Hupso Share Buttons --><\/div><p>Yesterday (6\/22\/2016), in the debut of his HBO show \u201cAny given Wednesday\u201d, the competent journalist Bill Simmons, known as an expert on the history of the NBA, boldly claimed that Lebron James already is at least among the 3 all-time NBA greatest players, and that his first 13 NBA seasons: \u201cwere greater than anyone\u2019s else\u2019s [&hellip;]<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding-bottom:20px; padding-top:10px;\" class=\"hupso-share-buttons\"><!-- Hupso Share Buttons - https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/ --><a class=\"hupso_counters\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/lang\/pt\/share-small.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top:2px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\"\/><\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var hupso_services_c=new Array(\"twitter\",\"facebook_like\",\"facebook_send\",\"pinterest\",\"email\",\"print\",\"linkedin\");var hupso_counters_lang = \"pt_BR\";var hupso_image_folder_url = \"\";var hupso_twitter_via=\"blogdootavio\";var hupso_url_c=\"\";var hupso_title_c=\"Bill%20Simmons%20claims%20Lebron%20has%20surpassed%20Kareem%20Abdul-Jabbar%20%28the%20journalist%20should%20have%20paid%20more%20attention%20to%20what%20Dr.J%20said%20to%20him%29\";<\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/js\/counters.js\"><\/script><!-- Hupso Share Buttons --><\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":905,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[182],"tags":[136,137,100,138,101,99],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/otaviopinto.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/908"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/otaviopinto.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/otaviopinto.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/otaviopinto.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/otaviopinto.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=908"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/otaviopinto.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/908\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2536,"href":"https:\/\/otaviopinto.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/908\/revisions\/2536"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/otaviopinto.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/905"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/otaviopinto.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=908"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/otaviopinto.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=908"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/otaviopinto.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=908"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}