CBS Releases Their ‘Top 50 NBA Players of All-Time’ – Where Does LeBron James Rank?

Ah yes the time of the year when the powers that be try to come up with content surrounding NBA All-Star Weekend, things that might tickle your fancy while NBA players enjoy their weekend away from basketball, while the rest line up for a meaningless game in New Orleans.

Today’s interesting take comes from CBS Sports, who put out their version of the ‘Top 50 NBA Players of All-Time’ the same thing that ESPN did a year ago also at this time (hmmm….).

Cavs fans are interested where their best player of all-time – LeBron James, is on the list, and CBS has him ranked one spot higher this year than ESPN did last year.

ESPN’s List had LBJ at number three (behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Michael Jordan), while this year CBS has LeBron sitting right at number two – behind only Jordan himself.

If you want to be spared the time from scrolling through CBS’ list, here’s what they say about the Cavs star:

The guy who was anointed “The Chosen One” in high school not only embraced the hype, but exceeded it. Even at St. Vincent-St. Mary, his combination of size, athleticism and feel for the game let you know he had the potential to be an all-time great. He delivered on all that promise by evolving in every facet of the game, taking care of his body and becoming arguably the smartest and most complete player in basketball. With three championships (and three Finals MVPs), four Most Valuable Player awards and perhaps the greatest three-game run in NBA Finals history last June, James is the first true threat to Michael Jordan’s supremacy. Watch the throne.

CBS’ Top 10 List goes like this:

1. Michael Jordan
2. LeBron James
3. Wilt Chamberlain
4. Magic Johnson
5. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
6. Bill Russell
7. Tim Duncan
8. Larry Bird
9. Shaquille O’Neal
10. Kobe Bryant

Compare to ESPN’s

1. Michael Jordan
2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
3. LeBron James
4. Magic Johnson
5. Wilt Chamberlain
6. Larry Bird
7. Bill Russell
8. Tim Duncan
9. Shaquille O’Neal
10. Hakeem Olajuwon