Best Player to Wear #6?

[e-monk]

Originally Posted by Jamel Irief

Honestly, I love Kareem and thinks he's the greatest ever, but in terms of the general populace I would say both Dr. J and the late Wilt are bigger celebs. Kareem never showed personality, outside of his cameo in Airplane! of course.

that was not Kareem, that was copilot Roger Murdock

[Najee]

Originally Posted by Jace

Nike wanted him to wear 9 coming into the league, which still would've been a bit of an homage to Jordan while also being an awesome and unique number for an NBA superstar. He insisted on 23, though. No idea why he went with 6. I never got the feeling it had to do with Dr. J or Russell. He wore 9 and Wade wore 6 in the '04 Olympics, and then Wade asked him to switch for the '06 Worlds. I guess by the time he wanted to get off 23 he was already really comfortable with 6. Still kind of weird thinking of him as a 6. You kind of wish the best players stayed at one number, which was sort of immediately ruined by starting with 23.

LeBron James still would have been in a similar boat with No. 9, because that was Bob Pettit's number. But at least there wouldn't have been the obvious number association with Nos. 23 and 6 at the casual level.

In hindsight given his situation coming into the NBA, James would have been well served to look numbers not used or associated with former NBA standouts. If he wanted the Jordan-like number in the 20s, Nos. 26-29 are/were pretty open territory.

[Jace]

Could be getting too abstract here, but upper 20's numbers feel clunky. There were indeed a shortage of unique, fitting numbers he could've gone with, but #23 was one of the worst he could've chosen.

[e-monk]

but with his ego it was inevitable

[Jace]

I think he was 32 his frosh season, then switched to 23 after that. Can't expect a 15-year-old to have a lot of foresight in that regard. I can see why he picked it, despite his game always being so different than Jordan's. I think it had at least as much to do with pure fandom as it did ego.

[gi0rdun]

Yea... I'll give a vote to Tyson Chandler.

[Dee-Zy]

Lebron said it himself that it was because he was a fan.

[Jace]

Well, he's not going to say "I chose 23 because I believed I was the next Jordan."

[The Big Dipper]

Originally Posted by Knick Killer

Bill Russell but eventually it will be LeBron.

Lebron will never surpass Bill Russell. NEVER EVER! Bill Russell was the defensive anchor and best player on the greatest team of all time. Lebron has a way to go before he is even at the foothills of that achievement.

[Mattsanity]

James is already a top 15 player ever. He's going to finish a lot higher than that by the end of his career.

[baller243]

I'm gonna have to say Russell also, sorry Lebron.

[The Big Dipper]

Bill Russell is top 5 and only because the top 5 are interchangeable. I doubt Lebron will ever join those ranks.

[doctordrizzay]

Originally Posted by The Big Dipper

Bill Russell is top 5 and only because the top 5 are interchangeable. I doubt Lebron will ever join those ranks.

Bill Russel was in a league filled with nonathletic and nonskilled people, If Lebron James played back then there would be nobody to even remotely guard him he would have disgusting records that would top everyone forever. The fact that Lebron can do all these things in a league we have today is pretty incredible. You have to look at it that way.

[Bogg]

Originally Posted by doctordrizzay

Bill Russel was in a league filled with nonathletic and nonskilled people, If Lebron James played back then there would be nobody to even remotely guard him he would have disgusting records that would top everyone forever. The fact that Lebron can do all these things in a league we have today is pretty incredible. You have to look at it that way.

If Lebron played back in the sixties he'd be 50 pounds lighter, never would have refined his game to the extent that he did today, and would likely play a wildly different style of ball.

[The Big Dipper]

Originally Posted by doctordrizzay

Bill Russel was in a league filled with nonathletic and nonskilled people, If Lebron James played back then there would be nobody to even remotely guard him he would have disgusting records that would top everyone forever. The fact that Lebron can do all these things in a league we have today is pretty incredible. You have to look at it that way.

No I don't because all that you said is false. Lebron is an athletic machine but his skills are still average.

Bill Russell was as much an athlete as Lebron is and had far superior basketball skills and had perhaps the highest basketball IQ ever.

If he came into the league today he would prob average 18 pts 15 reb 2 steals 5 assists and 6 blocks and that little because he's 78.

Lebron has a way to go to even dream of bring on his level.