murksiderock
Superstar
Bron was 33 and going into Year 16 when he came to LA. Historically, that's "fall off" territory for NBA superstars. Even in this era where guys are playing better for longer, absolutely nobody in 2018, predicted he'd look like this, in 2025...
In almost 7 full years as a Laker:
•restored them to being a marquee franchise
•brought a championship (Y2) and two WCF runs to a franchise that, the previous 5 years, was winning 25.2 games/year; on a 6-year playoff drought when he got there; hadn't been to a WCF or won a title in 8 years before he got there
•set the All-Time scoring record and became the first 40k guy
•became the first combined 50k guy
He won't crack the pantheon Laker greats, who spent their entire careers as Lakers in Magic, Kobe, West. As it stands here today, Kareem and Shaq are still ahead of him in a Laker jersey...
But I said a year ago he's already passed Wilt in a Laker jersey, and I stopped entertaining any conversation about Pau or Worthy or Baylor two years ago when they went back to the WCF...
This #23 is getting retired in LA, at this point there should be no doubt. If he wins another championship here, they may give him a statue, because it's not gonna matter that he didn't spend his career here, the narrative will be that the greatest player of all time finished his career with the greatest franchise of all time. And did so in dominating fashion...
The conversation in years to come about who the GOAT is, is getting really close to swinging. When Bron came here, he had played 15 years, which was Mike's full career. You could already make the argument that his peak was as high as Mike's at that point in time...
Since he came to LA it's a complete blowout in terms of longevity now, but yall know how I feel about longevity. He'd already had a full career before he got here. I didn't need to see him play a minute in purple and gold to validate him as the GOAT----->he was already that when he got here...
Yall know I've ALWAYS said that and I feel even stronger about it today, than I did 7 years ago...
But in popular opinion, if you pay attention to the conversation, it's already been gradually shifting as the years go by. And the fact that he's been this great for this much longer than Mike was, is gonna sway some people here moving forward. For me, it's widening a gap that has been there since he became the GOAT in 2016. For some people though, it's gonna be enough to push him over...
I'm still ready for him to retire, let these young guys have their moment. 2026, will set the record for longest career ever at 23 years, and 23 years for #23 will be fitting. I'm still ready for him to go...
But it's a landslide: this guy is the greatest fukking basketball player of all time...
In almost 7 full years as a Laker:
•restored them to being a marquee franchise
•brought a championship (Y2) and two WCF runs to a franchise that, the previous 5 years, was winning 25.2 games/year; on a 6-year playoff drought when he got there; hadn't been to a WCF or won a title in 8 years before he got there
•set the All-Time scoring record and became the first 40k guy
•became the first combined 50k guy
He won't crack the pantheon Laker greats, who spent their entire careers as Lakers in Magic, Kobe, West. As it stands here today, Kareem and Shaq are still ahead of him in a Laker jersey...
But I said a year ago he's already passed Wilt in a Laker jersey, and I stopped entertaining any conversation about Pau or Worthy or Baylor two years ago when they went back to the WCF...
This #23 is getting retired in LA, at this point there should be no doubt. If he wins another championship here, they may give him a statue, because it's not gonna matter that he didn't spend his career here, the narrative will be that the greatest player of all time finished his career with the greatest franchise of all time. And did so in dominating fashion...
The conversation in years to come about who the GOAT is, is getting really close to swinging. When Bron came here, he had played 15 years, which was Mike's full career. You could already make the argument that his peak was as high as Mike's at that point in time...
Since he came to LA it's a complete blowout in terms of longevity now, but yall know how I feel about longevity. He'd already had a full career before he got here. I didn't need to see him play a minute in purple and gold to validate him as the GOAT----->he was already that when he got here...
Yall know I've ALWAYS said that and I feel even stronger about it today, than I did 7 years ago...
But in popular opinion, if you pay attention to the conversation, it's already been gradually shifting as the years go by. And the fact that he's been this great for this much longer than Mike was, is gonna sway some people here moving forward. For me, it's widening a gap that has been there since he became the GOAT in 2016. For some people though, it's gonna be enough to push him over...
I'm still ready for him to retire, let these young guys have their moment. 2026, will set the record for longest career ever at 23 years, and 23 years for #23 will be fitting. I'm still ready for him to go...
But it's a landslide: this guy is the greatest fukking basketball player of all time...
I'll be 36 this summer, been watching the NBA studiously since '99. Guys my age, even if they were on the game before me, they dont have a working memory before the last 3peat at best. But the guys who saw his career from at least before he won his first ring, and certainly much longer like much older guys, if they favor Mike, yall's perspective is interesting to me, if anything Bron is doing late in his career, has or can sway yall...
