20 NBA Players Who Could Beat LeBron James 1-on-1...do you agree?
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LeBron James would beat the vast majority of the NBA in a game of one-on-one ten times out of ten. But there are a few players he might only beat six-to-nine times out of ten. While most, if not all, of these players would probably struggle to defend the 6'8", 250lb behemoth, they can generate points and might be able to provide enough D to win. There is certainly a possibility of that happening with all these players. LeBron can be beaten at least some of the time by these guys. And it is in celebration of that slight sense of basketball mortality that I present this list to you. Here are the top 15 NBA players who stand the greatest chance of beating King James on the playground.
1. We begin with Kobe Bryant. The Black Mamba remains one of the best scorers in the game and still has the physical capabilities to match up with just about anyone. Bryant said himself that he thinks he would beat James due to LeBron's unselfish style of play. Tell me you wouldn't pay to see that game.
2. Kevin Durant might be the league's most complete offensive player. Which means that he could attack LeBron in a number of different ways and score efficiently. He might not have the athletic gifts that James does, but he's a little taller and a little better shooting from range. That gives him a shot.
3.Dirk Nowitzki spoiled LeBron's first season with the Miami Heat by winning the NBA title and the Finals MVP as the centerpiece of his Dallas Mavericks team. His turnaround, one-legged jumper is unguardable and at seven feet, Dirk has the size to rise up over the King from anywhere on the court.
4. Carmelo Anthony came into the league at the same time as LeBron and has lived in his shadow somewhat. But Melo's offensive game is nothing to overlook. Like Durant, Melo can score from anywhere. Unlike Durant, Melo also has the frame to take it down low against James and come out on top.
5. Russell Westbrook is an athletic freak. He gives up some size to LeBron, but he has a phenomenal pull-up jumper and a lightning quick first step that would allow him to take it to the rim against a bigger, stronger opponent. There's also the fact that he could probably jump over your house.
6. Dwyane Wade had to be on this list. You think a fiery competitor like Wade wouldn't pull out all the stops to win this one? He would love the fact that the odds would be against him and relish the chance to show once and for all that he is still the alpha dog in Miami. If there was one person you could count on to be that ruthless to a friend, it's Dwyane Wade.
7. James Harden has come into his own since being traded. He now has his own team where he is the primary offensive option and that has allowed him to better showcase his considerable talents. He has great shooting range and touch and he works off the dribble as well as anyone. The quick lefty gives up some size, but he has great footwork and a snappy jumper that would keep LeBron honest.
8. Monta Ellis has never been on a good team. But that isn't to say that he isn't one of the best offensive players in the league. Ellis is about as explosive as they come and has shown in the past that he can go on scoring runs that would make Wilt Chamberlain blush. If he got hot against LeBron, there's not telling what might happen
LeBron James would beat the vast majority of the NBA in a game of one-on-one ten times out of ten. But there are a few players he might only beat six-to-nine times out of ten. While most, if not all, of these players would probably struggle to defend the 6'8", 250lb behemoth, they can generate points and might be able to provide enough D to win. There is certainly a possibility of that happening with all these players. LeBron can be beaten at least some of the time by these guys. And it is in celebration of that slight sense of basketball mortality that I present this list to you. Here are the top 15 NBA players who stand the greatest chance of beating King James on the playground.
1. We begin with Kobe Bryant. The Black Mamba remains one of the best scorers in the game and still has the physical capabilities to match up with just about anyone. Bryant said himself that he thinks he would beat James due to LeBron's unselfish style of play. Tell me you wouldn't pay to see that game.
2. Kevin Durant might be the league's most complete offensive player. Which means that he could attack LeBron in a number of different ways and score efficiently. He might not have the athletic gifts that James does, but he's a little taller and a little better shooting from range. That gives him a shot.
3.Dirk Nowitzki spoiled LeBron's first season with the Miami Heat by winning the NBA title and the Finals MVP as the centerpiece of his Dallas Mavericks team. His turnaround, one-legged jumper is unguardable and at seven feet, Dirk has the size to rise up over the King from anywhere on the court.
4. Carmelo Anthony came into the league at the same time as LeBron and has lived in his shadow somewhat. But Melo's offensive game is nothing to overlook. Like Durant, Melo can score from anywhere. Unlike Durant, Melo also has the frame to take it down low against James and come out on top.
5. Russell Westbrook is an athletic freak. He gives up some size to LeBron, but he has a phenomenal pull-up jumper and a lightning quick first step that would allow him to take it to the rim against a bigger, stronger opponent. There's also the fact that he could probably jump over your house.
6. Dwyane Wade had to be on this list. You think a fiery competitor like Wade wouldn't pull out all the stops to win this one? He would love the fact that the odds would be against him and relish the chance to show once and for all that he is still the alpha dog in Miami. If there was one person you could count on to be that ruthless to a friend, it's Dwyane Wade.
7. James Harden has come into his own since being traded. He now has his own team where he is the primary offensive option and that has allowed him to better showcase his considerable talents. He has great shooting range and touch and he works off the dribble as well as anyone. The quick lefty gives up some size, but he has great footwork and a snappy jumper that would keep LeBron honest.
8. Monta Ellis has never been on a good team. But that isn't to say that he isn't one of the best offensive players in the league. Ellis is about as explosive as they come and has shown in the past that he can go on scoring runs that would make Wilt Chamberlain blush. If he got hot against LeBron, there's not telling what might happen
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9. Chris Paul may be pound-for-pound the toughest player in the NBA. He also might be the most clutch player in the league. Combine that with his quickness and court-awareness and he becomes a nightmare for anyone in a one-on-one situation. He might be a pass-first point guard, but he has shown he can take over a game and score at will. That makes him a dangerous opponent even for LeBron.
10. Stephen Curry is another one of those guys that can just shoot from anywhere. He hits threes for fun and has good quickness off the dribble. He also has some pretty silky footwork under the rim and can make defenders bite on any number of ball-fakes, head-fakes and jab-steps.
11. Dwight Howard might be the only guy on this list who is actually stronger than LeBron. He has the size advantage too at 6'11" and would be able to take LeBron into the post without sentencing himself to defeat. Howard's defense is top notch also, he might actually be the only guy on this list that could think about beating James with his D.
12. Jamal Crawford is as polished a scorer as they come. He's been a Sixth Man Of The Year winner precisely because of his incredible ability to generate ludicrous amounts of offense off the bench in limited minutes. While that doesn't guarantee him victory in this type of game, it definitely leaves him in with a shout.
13. Kevin Love is a little taller than LeBron, is an elite rebounder and can shoot all the way out to the 3-point arc. He'll smother any loose ? or missed shots and he can make you pay with his own smooth offensive game. Much like Dirk Nowitzki, Love's height and quick release on the J help neutralize LeBron's defensive prowess.
14. Deron Williams is a tough point guard who plays very unselfish basketball. But he grew up shooting from crazy distances in his back yard, and as a result he has a lethal weapon for this game. He's quick enough to get to the rim, but if he starts heating up from mid-range or outside, he becomes very dangerous.
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15. Blake Griffin is the only guy on this list who might be as athletic, if not more so, than LeBron James. We've all seen the dunk highlights and all that by now. But Blake's athleticism gives him a huge advantage in one-on-one. If you can out-athlete someone, and they're the only one standing in your way, it becomes pretty clear what you have to do. Use your athleticism to overpower your opponent. If Blake could do that against James, he could win that game.
16.Paul George The NBA's fastest rising star can handle Lebron in a real game, so a game of 1-on-1 would be no big deal.
17. Andre Iguodala is a better shooter than Lebron. Not to mention, he's way more clutch.
18. Derrick Rose Once D-Rose is back to 100 percent, he'd have no problem taking down 'the king' in a game of 1-on-1. Especially, if he improves his jumpshot.
19. Kyrie Iving Some people think Lebron could be teammates with Irving one day. But even if they're not, Irving has all the moves to take down No. 6 in good old fashioned game of 1-on-1.
20 John Wall Wall is still young and honing his skills, but he already has enough in his playbook to dethrone the King.
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Anybody with handles, speed, and stamina enough to keep the dribbling/driving going. Aside from Durant who makes 3's like layups, everybody else would have to turn it into an And 1 Mixtape.
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Iverson could walk out of tgi Fridays right now and son Lebron, not that of an impressive feat
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Lol.blake at 16 he should be higher
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Kobe, Dirk, Carmelo and Harden could all beat him...
Everybody else would maybe win by 1 if at all...
But Lebron is built for team basketball though. Thats why he's so good for the NBA. -
This list hating on my ? bron
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11. Dwight Howard might actually... think about beating James with his D.
Tell me y'all didn't chuckle when you read this ? . Pause -
And I think Derrick Rose has to be taken off this list. That's my ? and all but we already seen what happened with him and Bron in a 1v1 situation. He looked like he didn't even know how to go at Bron
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I completely disagree with the premise of the article. There are some players who will legit beat LeBron more times than not. They're trying to make like LeBron is some ultimate 1v1 player, when we all know that's not true.
If this is a list of people that LeBron will only beat 6 to 9 times out of 10 vs. 10 times out of 10, then you can pretty much put the ENTIRE league on the list. Anyone will their level of skill can catch fire one game and win. -
Came to say 1 on 1 is a whole different monster and a lot of lower tier players could beat a star, but this list goes too far
-All those PGs??? Lebron can actually guard them. They cant in any way guard him. Id say Curry, Ellis, and to a lesser extent Rose, the only small dudes who could
-'ANDRE IGUODALA IS A BETTR SHOOTER THAN LEBRON'!?!?!?! Huh??
-No-sign Wade
-Harden, Durant, Melo, and Kobe probably best 1 on 1 players in the league -
Niggad are greatly underestimating LeBron ability to play defense and the fact none of them can stop him
Only person that would matchup is melo and kd -
Lmao iggy on dis list yet Paul pierce a guy who used to give bron nightmares early on in his career is missin, trash ass list nd explanations whoever wrote dat is underestimating da ? outta Bron too, musta been a Kobe Stan
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So they just gonna forget about
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Props to you and putting the list together. I don't know what rules this one on one game would go by. Winner's outs or loser's outs? Three point line? Call your own fouls? Depending on those rules, the outcome could vary...having said that, some names on this list are ridiculous.
I cosign Kobe, Melo and Westbrook beating Bron. If it's winner's outs, Westbrook would be hard to stop.
No sign on: Durant, Dirk and Kevin Love for the same reasons. They don't have enough handles to get past LeBron and defensively they wouldn't be able to stop him. Since they work out together, I'm sure Durant h has beaten him before but I don't think he'd win the majority of the games.
Major no sign on Dwight Howard. I'd love to hear the logic behind that one. -
List is ?
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Some All of y'all need to read the first paragraph before you comment.
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When's the last time any of you played 1 on 1?
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None of these ? are beating Bron one on one. Kobe too old. KD too soft. Melo has the best chance & even his chances are slim. Kawhi Leonard got a better chance than most of that list & he done too.
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No Anthony Davis? AD will block the ? out of Lebron...
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9. Chris Paul may be pound-for-pound the toughest player in the NBA. He also might be the most clutch player in the league. Combine that with his quickness and court-awareness and he becomes a nightmare for anyone in a one-on-one situation. He might be a pass-first point guard, but he has shown he can take over a game and score at will. That makes him a dangerous opponent even for LeBron.
10. Stephen Curry is another one of those guys that can just shoot from anywhere. He hits threes for fun and has good quickness off the dribble. He also has some pretty silky footwork under the rim and can make defenders bite on any number of ball-fakes, head-fakes and jab-steps.
11. Dwight Howard might be the only guy on this list who is actually stronger than LeBron. He has the size advantage too at 6'11" and would be able to take LeBron into the post without sentencing himself to defeat. Howard's defense is top notch also, he might actually be the only guy on this list that could think about beating James with his D.
12. Jamal Crawford is as polished a scorer as they come. He's been a Sixth Man Of The Year winner precisely because of his incredible ability to generate ludicrous amounts of offense off the bench in limited minutes. While that doesn't guarantee him victory in this type of game, it definitely leaves him in with a shout.
13. Kevin Love is a little taller than LeBron, is an elite rebounder and can shoot all the way out to the 3-point arc. He'll smother any loose ? or missed shots and he can make you pay with his own smooth offensive game. Much like Dirk Nowitzki, Love's height and quick release on the J help neutralize LeBron's defensive prowess.
14. Deron Williams is a tough point guard who plays very unselfish basketball. But he grew up shooting from crazy distances in his back yard, and as a result he has a lethal weapon for this game. He's quick enough to get to the rim, but if he starts heating up from mid-range or outside, he becomes very dangerous.
Soooo these nggas aint never gon be on defense, huh
Its pretty embarasing to co-sign this list.
Its proof that
1)....'Yall dont hoop'-s2j
2) Might be a dreaded 'casual fan' to not realize Lebron looks bad in iso's a lot bc the help defense can crowd his lanes.
But in 1 on 1? Tha ? is curry, paul, crawford, etc, etc gonna do w/ 250lb Bron with no help defense? ? this list outta here. -
Soooo these nggas aint never gon be on defense, huh
Its pretty embarasing to co-sign this list.
Its proof that
1)....'Yall dont hoop'-s2j
2) Might be a dreaded 'casual fan' to not realize Lebron looks bad in iso's a lot bc the help defense can crowd his lanes.
But in 1 on 1? Tha ? is curry, paul, crawford, etc, etc gonna do w/ 250lb Bron with no help defense? ? this list outta here.
If you don't think people like Curry (who can catch fire at any minute) can beat LeBron at least 1 time out of 10 (which is what this thread is about), I think it's safe to say YOU don't hoop.
1v1 games where I'm from is loser's ball... I score, now you get the ball and it's your turn.
If you truly did hoop, you would know that NO ONE plays to their strengths at all times. You guys are going through pointless simulations in your head acting as if you KNOW what each player is going to do.
If you did hoop, you would understand that some people, no matter how wack they are in a real game, are just great 1v1 players and sometimes that rule applies the other way. Some really good 5v5 players suck in 1v1. We've all lost or had a close game against someone we're way better than.
SN: For everyone that can't comprehend well, this article/thread was written by a LeBron stan. He already assumes that LeBron CAN beat everyone in the league more times than not. The list is a list of players who LeBron wouldn't beat 100% of the time. -
KD, Melo, Kobe in his prime, Curry, Harden and CP3, that's it.
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NothingButTheTruth wrote: »
Soooo these nggas aint never gon be on defense, huh
Its pretty embarasing to co-sign this list.
Its proof that
1)....'Yall dont hoop'-s2j
2) Might be a dreaded 'casual fan' to not realize Lebron looks bad in iso's a lot bc the help defense can crowd his lanes.
But in 1 on 1? Tha ? is curry, paul, crawford, etc, etc gonna do w/ 250lb Bron with no help defense? ? this list outta here.
If you don't think people like Curry (who can catch fire at any minute) can beat LeBron at least 1 time out of 10 (which is what this thread is about), I think it's safe to say YOU don't hoop.
1v1 games where I'm from is loser's ball... I score, now you get the ball and it's your turn.
If you truly did hoop, you would know that NO ONE plays to their strengths at all times. You guys are going through pointless simulations in your head acting as if you KNOW what each player is going to do.
If you did hoop, you would understand that some people, no matter how wack they are in a real game, are just great 1v1 players and sometimes that rule applies the other way. Some really good 5v5 players suck in 1v1. We've all lost or had a close game against someone we're way better than.
SN: For everyone that can't comprehend well, this article/thread was written by a LeBron stan. He already assumes that LeBron CAN beat everyone in the league more times than not. The list is a list of players who LeBron wouldn't beat 100% of the time.
No, no, YOU dont hoop! Lol
What purpose would there be to have a list of guys who could beat him 1 out of 10!??! I'd logically assume they menat go back n forth w/ him, able to be almost his equal in temrs of 1 on 1
1/10 implies
1) That Lebron, or any player, is THAT good that beating him only once out of 10 is a huge feat. Its not, bc again, 1 on 1 is a different monster
2) If 1/10 is the barometer, there's dozens of NBA players who could pull that.
So maybe this is directed at the writer of the article,b/c only a lay fan wouldnt know that there's guys on the bench in the NBA who could ? in 1 on 1. And yes, beat Lebron '1 out of 10. ' -
Lol the "you don't hoop" brigade, yall musta hopped together at some point huh
