Making the Case - LeBron James 

Thank you so much for watching this video (and the others, if you have). So many of these comments are so funny and supportive of the video, series, and channel that it's just surreal. I did, however, make an oopsie and say that LeBron was drafted in 2004, when in fact, he was drafted in 2003! Classic me.

"Built like Karl Malone, Passes like Bird, Jumps like Michael and a surveys the court like Magic Johnson.. Faster than the Strongest and Stronger than the fastest" Woow what a line!!

So today I'll be making the case, for Making the Case, as the most entertaining and fair basketball GOAT series of all time.

This was made two years ago, LBJ has won another title since and is leading the league in scoring at 37 averaging 30.1 - 8.2 - 6.3... year 19

The coolest thing about lebron is that you could probably add another 20 minutes to this video by the time he’s retired what a legend man

"How is it that going to the Finals and losing, is worse than not making it at all?!" My thoughts exactly..

Plot Twist: No one's hating on LeBron in this comment section

As a guy who’s team Jordan in the GOAT debate the reason many people get so up in arms over LeBron is because LeBron is the biggest threat to their GOAT. Simple as that. They don’t admit it, but on a subconscious level that is the answer.

The idea of 5 LeBron’s vs 5 of anybody is accurate, hilarious, and terrifying at the same time🤣

I love how one random guy on the internet can make a better series than an entire global company.

Next you should make a case series for the greatest NBA teams of all time examples 96 Bulls, 16 Warriors, Showtime Lakers etc.

The fact that he added another ring, another FMVP, became the all-time leading scorer in NBA regular season history, and had the insane stats at 38 AFTER this video made an argument for him being the GOAT is quite a testament to who he is as a player.

Man. This video needs an update ASAP. If he had a strong case with 3x6, he now has 4, better longevity and is the all time leading scorer. The GOAT

"he's not the strongest or the fastest, but he's faster than the strongest and stronger than the fastest" crazy line

Holy moly all the hair on my body is standing up after those ending lines.

Since this video he went from 4th to 1st in points 10th to 4th in assists 56th to 32nd in rebounds and he's STILL playing

rewatching this after he broke the unbreakable record

This series is better than any thing ESPN could ever do. Props to you

This is the best basketball series of videos ever made.

That is the perfect way to describe LeBron’s physical attributes "he’s not the strongest or the fastest, but he’s stronger than the fastest and faster than the strongest"

I've always said this. Put Michael Jordan against every finals opponent LeBron had to face and I'd bet my life he doesn't go 6-0. The Fact that LeBron was able to win 4 rings against damn near perfect teams is extraordinary. A wise man once said "Jordan can make a Good team into a Great team, but LeBron can turn a Bad team into a Good team".

Jesus Christ, the ending gave me goosebumps

Next time on Making the Case: Clayton Crowley

I think that his transformation truly began once he went to Miami. There he also put shooting and post offense in his arsenal, and since then, he just was on another level. Pre Miami, he was faster, stronger and youth, but then he added the entire package. Killer player

I think the issue with Lebron and Jordan believers is people who believe Lebron is the goat can respect people who think Jordan is the goat, but people who think Jordan is the goat thinks Lebron is the worst player to ever pick up a basketball.

The funny thing is that this series is so good and the arguments are so compelling that it only makes you feel LESS confident in who the G.O.A.T is due to the now 8 equally sound cases presented.

They've been a spotlight on this man career since he was 16 years old he's a goat for not going insane

Huge fan of your channel man

I’ve watched the ending countless times. Im crying rn. Its so beatiful and even tho Lebron is struggling rn nothing will take that away from him

Whether he is your GOAT or not, its goddamn refreshing to see everyone showing respect in the comments.

I realize this is way too late to be relevant in the conversation, but I was born in 2001. I've watched this series religiously and I decided that I would sit down with my dad and watch this LeBron one. As soon as the Jordan truthers comment came up, I asked him, "Why does LeBron get Jordan truthers so angry when it comes to GOAT conversations?" He simply said, "He's the only real threat." Needless to say, he loved this video and we watched the rest of the series together. You really changed his mind on Tim Duncan ("I never really saw him like that, but yeah, he's underrated") and LeBron to the point where he said that he thinks historically Jordan is 1 and LeBron will retire and 1A. Crazy stuff. Thanks for giving me and the old man a chance to talk about this on a more level playing field!

I never got a chance to live the experience of what the other 7 players on your list were like in the moment, but as an Ohioan I can assure you that the 2016 playoffs final was the most magical thing to happen in Cleveland, ever. It was straight out of a storybook

"Built like Karl Malone, passes like Bird, jumps like Jordan and surveys the court like Magic. He is not the strongest or the fastest but he is faster than the strongest and stronger than the fastest" That’s just the perfect description of LeBron James

I was a Lebron hater when I was younger, I almost hated him as much as I hated Kobe which says a lot, especially as a Spurs fan. However, I realized how wrong I was after Kobe declined and eventually retired, I never enjoyed his run and was genuinely sad to see Kobe leave the game, and that caused me to pivot and learn to appreciate all of the things lebron does. He's the most complete player I think i'll ever see, I hope he can win 2 or 3 more rings before we transition into the next era of basktball.

"We as sports fans fetishize potential" Great quote

The ending of this video actually made me cry Gives me chills every time

The reason this video gets people in an uproar and the others didn't is because it's obvious that the others really aren't a threat to MJ's GOAT claim, while LBJ truly is.

When he retires in 2033 YOU HAVE TO REMAKE THIS VIDEO. ENDING GIVES ME CHILLS EVERYTIME.

Jordan is still my GOAT, but LeBron has earned the right to be in the conversation. Anyone who downplays LeBron's achievements on the court shouldn't be taken seriously.

Let's not forget the fact that LeBron went against another player who's arguably the greatest to ever do it too, Tim Duncan and a stacked spurs team, he lost to on his first year with a trash Cavs team leading them to the finals against the spurs as well as beating them as well and losing again. This was INSANE competition as it's two players on each team who can be argued as the best ever players. That's insane. Kudos to LeBron, give credit to any player who earned it Tim Duncan and LeBron earned it.

Me: dislikes LeBron Also me: doesn't let my dislike for LeBron cloud my judgment, because he is truly up there with MJ

Who's here after LeBron just won his 4th ring, this time in Los Angeles?

That ending straight up made me emotional I won't lie

Just watched this gem of a video 2 years after it was released, and I gotta say, Clayton does make 1 hell of a case, as a Spurs fan the Tim Duncan case video was particularly enjoyable to watch, but this, the writing, the narration and the choice of music was all just perfect, I almost shed a tear at the end lol and then I remembered that I'm supposed to be hating the guy, especially after the heartbreak of the 2013 finals, but my goodness what video, what a case, what a player...!!!

Bron won a 4th ring since then, has the most all stars and all nba selections and reached 40 k pts whikst being top 5 in assisits all time and top 10 in rebounds and is a top 10 player in the league rn without slowing down, hes the greatest ever 🔥🔥

LeBron wanted to give his starved hometown a championship, then gave the city arguably the most incredible championship story ever.

“Fastest than the strongest, strongest than the fastest” boy if that ain’t a bar right there my boy out here spitting fire dawgg🤣🤣🤟🏻😤

"5 LeBrons would win against 5 of anybody" No better way to put it.

What a great and well-researched RU-vid series! Thank you so much for making these. My personal choice would be Wilt, but you make compelling cases out of all of them. Keep up the good work!

"...old Shaq, Ben Wallace's corpse." Lol made me lose my shit laughing

I'm upset we aren't going to see a "Making the Case - Robert Horry" ...

24:50 hold up nah. That loss can be pinned on Dirk completing one of if not the greatest playoff run ever. No one ever gives credit to the Mavs

You deserve a RU-vid Oscars for this documentary man DAME.

A view and argument on LeBron James that I have never seen or heard before, and what an argument it is. Awesome series, fantastic throughout. Looking forward to your future content, Clayton “Clutch” Crawley! 😁🏀

“Ben Wallace’s corpse”

This needs to be remade after his 4th chip and scoring record

“Making the Case” series is your signature content... it what makes your channel stand out. I wish to see more “MTC series” on other subjects. Kudos in advance.

The ‘16 finals felt like a glitch in the simulation. I was rooting for Bron the whole time but at 3-1 against that historic Warriors team, I thought it was over... Without a doubt the greatest testament to his legacy imo

Its so weird seeing how small LeBron was even as a teenager because I am so used to him looking like a damn freight train

What an amazing video my man, had me getting emotional there. Your voice and attenuation, the choice of words and script, the choice of clips and editing, great work.

still come back and watch this video every couple months. it's just so freaking well made and argued. kudos honestly I don't even like basketball that much, I just love this mans passion

I’d also like to remind everyone that “The Decision” raised over 2 million dollars in charity

LeBron can’t be the goat, he never won a college game

The fact that there were all these expectations since high school and the man actually delivered is bonkers and he’s still going lol

LeBron is the only player in history of sports that has been argued being the goat for 10+ years and still playing. When he's done it will be interesting to remake these kind of videos with all the stats and history. He's definitely on the mount Rushmore of basketball and the greatest of our era. The most complete player ever. Don't even mention what he did for the players empowerment and outside basketball.

I believe LeBron James is the most criticize and overanalyze player of all time

“He’s not the strongest or the fastest, but he’s faster than the strongest and stronger than the fastest.” Damn man. This is some incredible work

these videos are two years old but i still love how in depth it goes. my favorite one has the be the duncan video

Seeing this in 2023 afte Bron broke the scoring record is truly amazing, there was a case to why he his the goat long before he won a chip in LA and broke Kareem record, truly legandary.

This series belongs beside Kobe Bryant's "Dear Basketball" as the greatest love letters written to the sport ever. You didn't just make a series of arguments for the greatest player. You wrote pure poetry about a love for the game that we all struggle to articulate as fans, but understand inherently. I'll be coming back to watch these for years to come.

I'll wait 15 years to watch the Luka doncic video

"Lebron had to form a super team!" ...mj HAD the super team... mj had a HOF coach. Mj had the highest recorded team ELO rating in all of NBA history. The bulls had a higher rating than the KD/Curry warriors did. Imagine that. Every time mj won he had a team BETTER than the warriors with KD.

13:36 not to mention the most clutch defensive play of all time

“They don’t boo bums” I think about this quote every time the anti Lebron gang shows up on a vid like this. This is some of the best basketball content on RU-vid tho, can’t wait to see what you do next.

Great series finale. Entertaining, insightful, persuasive. Well done, Mr Crowley. Interested to see what the LeBron haters come back with and looking forward to the next series/videos.

Can't wait for a revised version of this!

I come back to this video for the 2016 finals section. The way he summarizes the series is so succinct!

So, full disclosure here. I normally don’t entertain a lot of “Lebron is the GOAT” arguments. I roll my eyes at a TON of what Shannon Sharpe says about the guy. However, this video series has garnered a ton of respect with me. It’s one of the few that seems to take a truly fact based, objective, well researched, approach to who is “the GOAT”. Because of that, I watched this video open minded. Clayton, honestly, you have made me reconsider my stance on Lebron. I don’t know that I’d say he definitely WAS the greatest ever, but you showed me that he certainly deserves to be in the conversation. This series is just awesome for how mind opening it is to a topic that most of us don’t really think deeply about.

"He's LeBron James, the most valuable basketball player ever. The most complete basketball player who's ever lived. The greatest basketball player of all time." That hit different 😭

Clayton i've watched this video 5 times for the last two minutes, great job man

The final 3 minutes are beyond perfect, the goosebumps i got from it were unreal\

I immediately dropped all that I was doing for this video. What a gem of a series. You have a serious knack for writing, video editing, and narrating. Great video.

What a fantastic conclusion to my favorite series on RU-vid. I can't even imagine how many times I've gone back and re-watched the other episodes just waiting for this one to drop. Before Making the Case, I'd never have thought to include Tim Duncan in the GOAT conversation. It never occurred to me that Larry Bird was the embodiment of what people mean when they say "intangibles." I never considered that a quiet competitor like Kareem and an iconic, flashy star like Magic could have a claim to the same throne. Or that Bill Russell, who I only knew as the guy with 11 rings, could represent what it means to play team basketball. What surprised me most was when I found myself most convinced that Wilt Chamberlain, who I once saw as overrated and stat-obsessed, was the greatest to ever do it. Or, that Michael Jordan's case, probably the strongest and most well-accepted out there, left me the least convinced, which is a testament to the quality of this series. And now this: a finale fitting for a journey seven months in the making. Clayton, you magnificent man, I can't wait to see what you do next.

Hey-o. I admittedly started watching your content because of your Tim Duncan GOAT case vid and enjoyed it initially because i'm a lifelong spurs fan but then i went through every vid you've posted and have found every single one as engaging and entertaining as i did the first. You make passionate but earnest arguments are objective yet not shedding your earnest love for the game. Loving your legends series and i hope for an episode covering Hakeem. Hakeem's incredible abilities as a player, character and legend need to be presented by you. Keep up the good work :)

MJ when he was the best player on a bad team: never even reached the conference finals Lebron when he was the best player on a bad team: made the finals twice

I personally think mj is the goat but to simply dismiss lebron and not be willing to discuss the possibility of lebron being the goat is so childish.

I think this is the most convincing case. I love MJ I really do, and I grew up a Lakers fan watching Kobe and rooting against LeBron. But looking back now at what he has been able to do with what he was given, I don't think anyone could have done more. It's a real privilege to have been able to see him as both a rival and a home player.

This was before the all time scoring record

the ending gave me goosebumps fr nobody could've put it in a better way better than any documentary

I think one of the most impressive things about Lebron is how he came from nothing. I mean, lots of the greats had humble beginnings but Lebron really came from nowhere. Single teen mom, poverty. Have to admire it. And this is from a Warriors fan that hates his guts for 2016.

LeBron is so great that his only flaw is that he’s not perfect

You should really remake this video cuz lebrons case after the past 2-3 years since this video has gotten sooooo much better

Born in Chicago, Illinois grew up in Florida, but obviously huge MJ fan. I remember being in middle school when Lebron came into the league. Like a lot of other players he was already being compared to MJ from the start, which has always been kind of annoying like every new player for 20 years being compared to MJ Which is part of the hype and marketing of the players, but still gets old. A lot of ppl though already wanted to dismiss his abilities because of bias and favoritism and similarly annoyed with the comparison. But the same thing was with Kobe and other great players these athletes were in the league for 5/6 years, and sport center/sports analysts/fans are already striking up the conversation “who’s better” or “can they be better” and I believe it’s all fun and games. Really no one should take offense, and having arguments even with a little sh*t talking is part of sports. Some ppl just take it way too serious. That being said Lebron is the best player in this era hands down, gets more hate than probably deserves, a phenomenal athlete with phenomenal career. Him bring Cleveland a ring and beating the Warriors when were (73-9) the best record team ever was an incredible accomplishment. But if we are to say who is the greatest. We have to literally look at everything. I was waiting for the Robert Horry 7 rings. The difference is Robert Horry doesn’t have the mvps and finals mvps to go along rings. Lebron has 4 mvps, 4 rings, 4 finals mvps MJ has 5 mvps, 6 rings and 6 finals mvps. Both INCREDIBLE accomplishments. This doesn’t settle the debate, and I feel like this video just reviewed Lebrons highlights(which was cool) but there was no argument or comparison to acknowledge him being the greatest. MJs double 3 peat in between retiring, his ability to perform in finals, his leadership to push his team to be better, out performing Charles Barkley and Karl Malone in finals when they were leagues mvp, being only player to have season with mvp, fmvp, scoring title, championship, 1st team all defensive selection and doing this 4 times…MJ just has a plethora of accomplishments that is hard for any athlete to top. Both athletes are amazing and Lebron has had an amazing career and I’m looking forward for his son Bronny career. But MJ is the goat Lebron will probably be 2nd but possibly 3rd because Kareem had an amazing career as well, and it’s hard to say between Wilt, Shaq, Kobe, Larry and Magic

You should do a joke version of this series. Like try to legitimately make an argument as to why Brian Scalabrine is the GOAT

Clayton, let me tell you something, I hope when LeBron retires you come back to this video and remake it. I personally believe with the steam the Lakers have right now he’s got one more ring for sure coming his way. With that ring it’ll add more fuel to flame that is his legacy. This is about as passionate of a video I’ve ever seen. The arguments made were fair and put out with context. I can appreciate the superb writing you had in the script and I couldn’t describe LeBron in a better way: “Faster than the Strongest but Stronger than the Fastest.” Poetry man, keep up the good work.

A collab between you and Joe Vincent might break the internet with whatever documentary topic y’all choose. Thanks for the great content!

Only lebron haters think its worse to lose in the finals than the 1st rnd

I was a LeBron hater as a kid, partially because I got tired of him, partially because I was a Kobe Bryant fan growing up, but it becomes absolutely impossible to ignore that consistent level of greatness.

18:44 "LeBron's numbers look okay" - proceeds to show a near 30-20 triple double.

2 years later this video was made, lebron won another ring, another finals mvp, and became the scoring tite. LeGOAT