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Text © 2019 Bob Gurnett

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ISBN 978-1-4549-3322-9

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Cover and interior design by Heather Kelly

Image credits are on page 128

CONTENTS

WHAT IS A G.O.A.T?

1 A BOY NAMED BRON BRON

2 HIGH SCHOOL SUPERSTAR

3 WITNESS A GREAT START

4 POSTSEASON LEBRON

5 MOST VALUABLE LEBRON

6 TAKING HIS TALENTS TO SOUTH BEACH

7 LEBRON’S BIG THREE

8 RETURN OF THE KING

9 AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

10 RECORDS AND STATS

11 RIVALRIES

12 WHO ELSE?

13 WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS

GLOSSARY

BIBLIOGRAPHY

IMAGE CREDITS

WHAT IS A
G.O.A.T?

Most people do not want to be compared to a barnyard animal, but a G.O.A.T is different. These G.O.A.T.s aren’t found in petting zoos, but you can see them on the gridiron, the hardwood, the ice, and the diamond. G.O.A.T. is an acronym that stands for Greatest Of All Time. It takes lifelong dedication, non-stop hard work, and undeniable talent just to become a professional athlete. But to become the greatest of all time, well, that’s nearly impossible. There are a handful of athletes who are widely thought to be the G.O.A.T of their sport. Swimmer Michael Phelps moves like a fish in water, but he is also the G.O.A.T. with 23 Olympic gold medals, the most of all time. Tennis player Serena Williams is the G.O.A.T. with 23 Grand Slam titles in the Open Era, more than any woman or man.

But for some sports, a G.O.A.T is not as easy to identify and fans may disagree. If you asked five baseball lovers who the greatest baseball player of all time is, you might get five different answers. Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Barry Bonds, Cy Young, Lou Gehrig, or when it’s all said and done, maybe rising young superstar Mike Trout. The G.O.A.T can change depending on who is asked, and what their reasons, or criteria, are. Babe Ruth won seven World Series, had a .342 batting average for his career, and is still in 3rd place all time for home runs, even though he retired over 80 years ago in 1935. Willie Mays did not have the same bat as Ruth, but he is still considered the best defensive player in history. Different players, different achievements, but both still considered the greatest at what they did. Fans will disagree on who the true G.O.A.T. is, but to even be considered, a player must be one of the best to ever live.

Basketball has its own G.O.A.T. debate. Many people think Michael Jordan, the six-time champion who never lost in the NBA Finals, is the best. Some say it’s Wilt Chamberlain, the only player to score 100 points in a game. Others still will say it is no doubt the all-time scoring leader, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, or Bill Russell, who won the most NBA championships ever.. It very well may be that the NBA’s G.O.A.T. is playing right now! At the top of his game is NBA superstar, LeBron “the King” James, basketball’s Greatest Of All Time? Let’s review the evidence to find out!