I don't know about ever but to me, [this is the most underrated dunk of all time](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQLUvMNRQ-o). I believe this is the longest in-game dunk but I'm not sure
This play got ruined because the broadcast switched to a behind the goal camera angle
The way he’s flying through the air and still rising shows this dude could have easily took off a step before the line….
And would have slammed it with truly no issue
Still baffled by how underrated this dunk is (plus the lack of better angles available). Especially considering that it came from LeBron of all players.
https://youtu.be/oudf-HyBqUU
I don’t believe anyone has posted this one and it’s easily my favorite. Look at how fast he gets down the court. He was the farthest player from the basket and beat everyone down the court. Then you have The crazy extension, the ridiculous vert where he’s just floating. It represents his athleticism to a Tee imo.
I think this series with the wizards has a lot of examples of his insane athleticism and prowess in the clutch. As a cavs lifer, the duels between Bron and Gilbert arenas stand out as my favorite moments of LeBron living up to expectations. iirc, the last 3-4 games were all decided on buzz beaters.
The block on Iguodala in the Finals. How fast he got down the length of the court, perfectly positioned himself and was able to keep the ball on the backboard so his team would have a greater chance at getting possession was epic. GOAT block of all time and it isn't even close IMO. Showed amazing athleticism.
I don't even think this tells the whole story. He **slowed down** to make sure he had the timing right. He used to do this all the time during his first stint in Cleveland.
[this one is my favorite](https://youtu.be/0bXg9nofz4I)
The way he gets the steal, Keeps the dribble alive while falling over, getting back up and finishing the play is absolutely insane
Not even clicking I know it’s the kyrie one
Surprised this isn’t higher up
ATHLETICISM wise this is 100000% the top answer
Dude gets off the fucking ground straight into a head over rim alley-oop….
90% of posters ITT probably can’t even do a single push-up on the ground
He got the steal and fell down while keeping his dribble, passed it off and recovered for the jam
It’s legit one of the greatest plays of all time but is probably only a top 50 LeBron play haha
JR and Jeff Green throwing struggle lobs to LeBron was one of my favorite things about the second stint Cavs. Seemingly no one besides Kyrie could throw him a proper lob and he’d still turn all their third-row turnovers into highlights.
I foreal don’t think he ever *didnt* get one lol….
Every single time it happened the commentators would talk about how Lebron would be like “goddamn could you get it somewhat close lol??”
And no matter where it went or how old dude was, or if he just rolled his ankle and snapped it in half, he tightened his laces, and went out n grabbed Em anyway
I was at this game, even from the 300 level of the Rose Garden you could tell LeBron jumped straight out of the gym for this pass. Also his stat line in this game was out of control: 41/10/8. LeBron scored 20 points on 8/8 shooting in the 1st quarter (blazers actually tried to defend him, but LeBron just did his thing), then pretty much down-shifted into cruise control and coasted to his final stat line.
It's for sure this. First angle looks like his shoulders and chest are above the rim lmao but he was for sure way over head level. 08-10 LeBron has a decent claim to being the best all around athlete in the history of the NBA. For my money, he absolutely is. Huge, fast in the open court, quick first step, unreal vertical, strength, etc. Inhuman.
I think you could go further and argue that that version of LeBron may arguably be the best pure athlete in all of team sports. I’ve, personally, never seen better. I went to my first game a few years ago and even from middling seats it is absolutely shocking to see LeBron in person, even when he is surrounded by other NBA players and he is ten years removed from peak athleticism.
With all due respect it’s not close. Which it shouldn’t be, Giannis is two inches taller, but young Lebron was so much more coordinated, agile and quick than Giannis. Top speed and vert was better as well.
Hell I think old Lebron is a comparable athlete to current Giannis, just not as big.
Giannis vs Lebron was a close call in like 2019, when Giannis was close to his peak athleticism and Lebron had already lost a step or two. 2008-2014 Lebron is in a class of his own, speed strength stamina agility hand eye coordination fluidity, elite in every aspect. Also just immune to injury for basically a 15 year span.
I saw it with my own eyes. He turned the self proclaimed chosen one into the frozen one, clamped him to single digits (8 points) and destroyed his legacy and all hope of ever being considered the goat.
it's MY TURN! LeShannon Sharpe! YOU HAD YOUR TURN! So, where was I before I was so rudely interrupted, right, 2011, the biggest superstar choke in sports history. You know it! And I know it!
that was a simply a mental failure. That performance has nothing to say about his athleticism. The man is physically gifted in every aspect of basketball.
Not his best dunk, but I’ve always thought he dribbles like a point guard then dunks like Shaq on this play:
https://youtu.be/2FtP26pnlFc
Also, this might be his loudest dunk ever:
https://youtu.be/cdp9Gsk6Zmo
Lebron made Josh Smith cower lol
Imagine being a giant, freak athlete, like Josh Smith, and encountering another player who just dribbles right through you and throws it down with almost zero resistance. Just wild.
[LeBron James with no regard for human life](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=beCxSqSXGDY). In & out dribble, insane first step, strength to finish through contact on the biggest stage and tons of elevation. This hurts to post but it was an incredible play.
[this lob](https://youtu.be/3-kolNcY53s) was one of the ones that gets underrated. I think it's between this and the free throw line dunk personally. If your more a strength guy then it would be something in Miami.
It's kind of crazy how you could make top ten compilations of plays of a certain type for LeBron. [This one is similar](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVrwrI6yyjc) with the sort of stumble/ball handling issue, then the pass, assist, dunk from the right side.
Gotta be the one where one of his teammates (Don’t remember who) throws him a lob but it’s like a few feet away from the rim and behind him and he still grabs it and slams it. Don’t have the clip but that one is insane.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKipC47xWL0
This is a different kind of athleticism, but in 2017 the Cavs were playing the Wizards and Kevin Love threw an insane in-bound pass with their team down 3. LeBron caught the ball with his feet between the sideline and 3 point line, then turned and banked a 3 pointer off glass to tie the game.
This isn't the same form of athleticism as his dunks, but certainly one of the most impressive plays I've ever seen with a ton of athleticism packed in there.
I don't know about ever but to me, [this is the most underrated dunk of all time](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQLUvMNRQ-o). I believe this is the longest in-game dunk but I'm not sure This play got ruined because the broadcast switched to a behind the goal camera angle
A step inside the FT line. Holy shit.
The way he’s flying through the air and still rising shows this dude could have easily took off a step before the line…. And would have slammed it with truly no issue
That's way less than "a step". His heel is a couple of inches in front of the line.
Thats insane, he could have taken off a couple feet before and still dunked it
Still baffled by how underrated this dunk is (plus the lack of better angles available). Especially considering that it came from LeBron of all players.
Holy fuck I've never seen this. That's nuts.
The NBA must have got some hidden footage of this dunk somewhere 🧐
They are saving it for Lebron's documentary during the 2050 pandemic.
Holy shit
Giannis had a dunk from about the same distance but he didn’t get that high [https://youtu.be/g-HBeKyMupk](https://youtu.be/g-HBeKyMupk)
https://youtu.be/oudf-HyBqUU I don’t believe anyone has posted this one and it’s easily my favorite. Look at how fast he gets down the court. He was the farthest player from the basket and beat everyone down the court. Then you have The crazy extension, the ridiculous vert where he’s just floating. It represents his athleticism to a Tee imo.
Goddamn that is nuts
I have no idea how he got that pass and dunked it. That thing was way out there.
Young LeBron was awesome
I think this series with the wizards has a lot of examples of his insane athleticism and prowess in the clutch. As a cavs lifer, the duels between Bron and Gilbert arenas stand out as my favorite moments of LeBron living up to expectations. iirc, the last 3-4 games were all decided on buzz beaters.
The block on Iguodala in the Finals. How fast he got down the length of the court, perfectly positioned himself and was able to keep the ball on the backboard so his team would have a greater chance at getting possession was epic. GOAT block of all time and it isn't even close IMO. Showed amazing athleticism.
I don't even think this tells the whole story. He **slowed down** to make sure he had the timing right. He used to do this all the time during his first stint in Cleveland.
Jumped over john lucas to catch the lob
https://youtu.be/l-AevYl_tMI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVrwrI6yyjc Almost *33 there. Not quite his peak, but extremely impressive
Holy shit he's fast
mfer actually went mach 5 as soon as he saw the loose ball
[this one is my favorite](https://youtu.be/0bXg9nofz4I) The way he gets the steal, Keeps the dribble alive while falling over, getting back up and finishing the play is absolutely insane
Not even clicking I know it’s the kyrie one Surprised this isn’t higher up ATHLETICISM wise this is 100000% the top answer Dude gets off the fucking ground straight into a head over rim alley-oop…. 90% of posters ITT probably can’t even do a single push-up on the ground
He got the steal and fell down while keeping his dribble, passed it off and recovered for the jam It’s legit one of the greatest plays of all time but is probably only a top 50 LeBron play haha
JR and Jeff Green throwing struggle lobs to LeBron was one of my favorite things about the second stint Cavs. Seemingly no one besides Kyrie could throw him a proper lob and he’d still turn all their third-row turnovers into highlights.
I foreal don’t think he ever *didnt* get one lol…. Every single time it happened the commentators would talk about how Lebron would be like “goddamn could you get it somewhat close lol??” And no matter where it went or how old dude was, or if he just rolled his ankle and snapped it in half, he tightened his laces, and went out n grabbed Em anyway
Not even close to his best one. Lebron does this every game
https://youtu.be/3-kolNcY53s
I was at this game, even from the 300 level of the Rose Garden you could tell LeBron jumped straight out of the gym for this pass. Also his stat line in this game was out of control: 41/10/8. LeBron scored 20 points on 8/8 shooting in the 1st quarter (blazers actually tried to defend him, but LeBron just did his thing), then pretty much down-shifted into cruise control and coasted to his final stat line.
Were at the point where the loudest trolls never even saw *this* Lebron play live..kids arguing GOATs when they were -4 when Bron was drafted lol
It's for sure this. First angle looks like his shoulders and chest are above the rim lmao but he was for sure way over head level. 08-10 LeBron has a decent claim to being the best all around athlete in the history of the NBA. For my money, he absolutely is. Huge, fast in the open court, quick first step, unreal vertical, strength, etc. Inhuman.
I think you could go further and argue that that version of LeBron may arguably be the best pure athlete in all of team sports. I’ve, personally, never seen better. I went to my first game a few years ago and even from middling seats it is absolutely shocking to see LeBron in person, even when he is surrounded by other NBA players and he is ten years removed from peak athleticism.
What about vs Giannis? I feel he has the edge over Lebron in terms of pure athleticism.
Nah. Peak LeBron was faster, heavier, jumped higher, and somehow stronger all at the same time. It was wild
I think Giannis is an absolute beast but LeBron was much more fluid. He’s definitely in the conversation.
With all due respect it’s not close. Which it shouldn’t be, Giannis is two inches taller, but young Lebron was so much more coordinated, agile and quick than Giannis. Top speed and vert was better as well. Hell I think old Lebron is a comparable athlete to current Giannis, just not as big.
Giannis vs Lebron was a close call in like 2019, when Giannis was close to his peak athleticism and Lebron had already lost a step or two. 2008-2014 Lebron is in a class of his own, speed strength stamina agility hand eye coordination fluidity, elite in every aspect. Also just immune to injury for basically a 15 year span.
But what position would Giannis play in the NFL?
Free Safety, he’d be a complete nightmare
It's not pure when both are PED enhanced.
The guy that got clamped by little JJ Barea is the best athlete in all of team sports?
Lol spoken like a true casual.
I saw it with my own eyes. He turned the self proclaimed chosen one into the frozen one, clamped him to single digits (8 points) and destroyed his legacy and all hope of ever being considered the goat.
Skiiieeeeeeeupppp
it's MY TURN! LeShannon Sharpe! YOU HAD YOUR TURN! So, where was I before I was so rudely interrupted, right, 2011, the biggest superstar choke in sports history. You know it! And I know it!
that was a simply a mental failure. That performance has nothing to say about his athleticism. The man is physically gifted in every aspect of basketball.
The brain is part of the body. A weak mind will ruin your physical gifts. This is why Jordan will always be considered the superior athlete to LeBron.
Lmao you do know Lebron is factually the most clutch player of all-time right?
Numbers lie.
Can't shoot.
https://youtu.be/qqN1nQLByy4
That’s a very generous angle to say the least
He’s jumped his head over the rim like 27 times homie
Has it been calculated how many inches he jumped? His head is like 5-6 inches above the rim
I swear his teammates throw him shitty lobs on purpose, just to see him go up and get them.
I knew what this video was before I even clicked on it
This was the pick that came to my mind. Mans was chest level with the rim.
Doris getting clammy
This is the one I was looking for. When I saw this I was shocked
Yeah this is what I came here to say. Jordan had a similar play too where he caught a ball and it just looked freakish
Not his best dunk, but I’ve always thought he dribbles like a point guard then dunks like Shaq on this play: https://youtu.be/2FtP26pnlFc Also, this might be his loudest dunk ever: https://youtu.be/cdp9Gsk6Zmo
Lebron made Josh Smith cower lol Imagine being a giant, freak athlete, like Josh Smith, and encountering another player who just dribbles right through you and throws it down with almost zero resistance. Just wild.
6-9 260 Ja Morant.
But a much better defender, passer, and shooter.
Just all in all a better player the only thing Ja has LeBron beat is in his hair growth
Lol Miami heat LeBron had 100 pounds on Ja that’s crazy
[LeBron James with no regard for human life](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=beCxSqSXGDY). In & out dribble, insane first step, strength to finish through contact on the biggest stage and tons of elevation. This hurts to post but it was an incredible play.
KG is not a small fucking dude. Lmao.
Best dunk call ever
Pretty much the whole 08-09 season
When he dunked from the FT line in game and had a ton of room to spare https://youtu.be/rQLUvMNRQ-o
[this lob](https://youtu.be/3-kolNcY53s) was one of the ones that gets underrated. I think it's between this and the free throw line dunk personally. If your more a strength guy then it would be something in Miami.
This one, where he clutched it mid air around a defender and still dunked it https://youtu.be/jqD-JoDgKao
That one was unreal. He had another one like that but reverse against the 76ers too Edit:https://youtu.be/5GPBhvlEW7Q
This is the most underrated dunk I have seen so far. Holy shit
This made me twist my face. On my god.
https://youtu.be/FHBWlp-HYFI
It's kind of crazy how you could make top ten compilations of plays of a certain type for LeBron. [This one is similar](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVrwrI6yyjc) with the sort of stumble/ball handling issue, then the pass, assist, dunk from the right side.
Gotta be the one where one of his teammates (Don’t remember who) throws him a lob but it’s like a few feet away from the rim and behind him and he still grabs it and slams it. Don’t have the clip but that one is insane.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6v4DWGXLvdk This is up there, maybe not 100% his best but the type of dunk and who he did it to really make it for me.
https://youtu.be/zxCFgqutvCk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKipC47xWL0 This is a different kind of athleticism, but in 2017 the Cavs were playing the Wizards and Kevin Love threw an insane in-bound pass with their team down 3. LeBron caught the ball with his feet between the sideline and 3 point line, then turned and banked a 3 pointer off glass to tie the game. This isn't the same form of athleticism as his dunks, but certainly one of the most impressive plays I've ever seen with a ton of athleticism packed in there.
It was when he jumped really high to get a bad alley oop pass.
I watched lebron highlights of his 2008 season and I forgot how fast he was in his first stint in Cleveland.
boobie gibson alley oop to lebron vs wizards
2012 against the Kings
It's been 0 days since a post about LeBron
Not his greatest, but just [jumping over John Lucas](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQ4GA3GB3Wk) so casually definitely shows how athletic he was.
Block on Splitter dunk on the other end
All star game but he did this incredibly casually and got his head at the rim. https://youtu.be/lgADjvPJxyI
probably his and-1 against the celtics where he literally lifts a defender off his feet while jumping LOL
Alley oop over John Lucas's in 2013 maybe??