Hall-of-Fame NBA Coach Drops Controversial LeBron James Statement

Is Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James still atop the current NBA?

Apr 29, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) in the third / Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

During a recent interview with Brandon "Scoop B" Robinson, Hall-of-Fame NBA coach George Karl was asked who he has as the second best player in basketball, assuming Nikola Jokic is first.

"I still wanna give LeBron number one," Karl said. "So I guess LeBron would be number two in my mind [behind Jokic], but it’s really a young/old thing going on, and the old guys know how to win, they know how hard it is to win, and that’s what’s coming at these young guys - they're gonna learn in the next couple of weeks."

As Karl noted, there seems to be a battle happening in real time between the older generation and the younger generation. In the Western Conference, it's Anthony Edwards and Luka Doncic leading their respective teams past future Hall-of-Famers like Kevin Durant, James Harden, Paul George, and others. Then there is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and his young Oklahoma City Thunder group looking to continue their ascent.

Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets are somewhere in between the old and young generation, as Jokic is younger than the LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry group, but older than the Edwards, Doncic, Gilgeous-Alexander group.

For Karl, he sees the young generation on the rise in this exciting playoff run, but still has James atop the league - even as the oldest player in the NBA.

Related Articles

Michael Malone Reveals Hilarious Moment With Nikola Jokic After Ejection

Victor Wembanyama Makes History vs. Nuggets

Nuggets Starter Shares Amazing Message About Nikola Jokic