LeBron James (Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports)
This past Friday, I found myself removed from my seat following another towering slam by LeBron James when I came to the realization that the four-time MVP may be the best entertainer in the country at the moment. And if that didn’t convince me, all I had to do was watch the Heat on Christmas. Those two dunks he caught from Dwyane Wade? OMG.
Who else consistently puts on a performance like LeBron? He plays basketball the right way, involves his teammates, nonchalantly and effortlessly puts up robust statlines, and still takes the time out of his day to come away with a minimum of one highlight per game.
He does this at least 75 times out of the year in the regular season and then, miraculously, goes over-the-top once the postseason rolls around.
There are few others who can pull off such feats on the regular, yet we almost take it for granted. Believe it or not, there are still critics of his game, even after the four MVPs and two championships.
Then again, it can be expected when he’s pulling off said feats against the 29 other teams that do not possess his talents. There are reasons why cities like Boston and Chicago are still jeering LeBron, even though it’s no longer the cool thing to do, and it’s because they don’t appreciate the onslaughts they have been on the opposite end of.
That’s also what makes LeBron one of the country’s greatest entertainers: how ravenous the supporters and critics are when it comes to his exploits. Sports in general can bring out the lawyer in everyone, but bringing LeBron in comparison with the NBA’s greatest of all time has created debates that will tide over the masses for the next decade.
Rather than bringing up numbers or analytics to defend or critique LeBron, let’s just melt our brains and do something we can all agree on: watching the 20 best dunks of his career.
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20. LeBron gives Ben McLemore his ‘Welcome to the NBA’ moment
The most recent dunk of LeBron’s to be featured, and the one that prompted this list to be created, is his posterization of Sacramento Kings rookie, Ben McLemore, who had obviously not watched much tape of LeBron going into his team’s contest with the Heat.
There’s a reason why LeBron isn’t known for putting defenders on posters: They move out of the way before he gets to the rim. McLemore is one of the few players in the NBA to be unaware of this, but I think it’s safe to say he gets it now.
19. LeBron serves it up himself against Milwaukee
LeBron James is arguably the league’s best facilitator, especially among those who also consistently look for their own shot, and this may have been his best assist yet.
Because what better player is there to pass to than LeBron James?