Coach K has seen his fair share of talent, so when he called LeBron James the “most unique player to ever play basketball,” that is one of the highest compliments an athlete of any sport can receive.
After winning gold for Team USA in basketball, Coach K raved about LeBron’s performance stating:
“He’s the most unique player to ever play basketball because he can play every position, both offensively and defensively.”
“I love LeBron,” Krzyzewski said. “He was our leader. He’s the best player on this planet. And I think he can even get better, as he accomplishes more.”
“We can rave about his physical talents, but they’re matched, they’re definitely matched, by his leadership qualities and his brilliance,” he said. “He’s a really, really smart guy. Right now, he’s in command of all those things.
“He has a great heart, great mind, great voice and a great body. No one has had all of that. I can’t say anything more than that about him. I mean, he’s the best.”
That’s one of the best coaches of all-time talking about arguably one of the best–if not the best–players of all-time. Coach K went on to talk about his performance in the gold-medal match against the very talented Spain team:
“He wanted the ball,” he said. “He not only wanted the ball at the end of a ball game and completed the plays and hit shots, but he made plays, he made plays.”
Much like his roll on the Miami Heat, LeBron took on a more vocal leadership roll, and being able to play every position helped immensely for our ‘undersized’ national team.
“When LeBron plays at the four or five, he’s behind a team,” Krzyzewski said of the uniqueness of such an alignment. “And when he talks then, it’s even more important, because he’s talking to guys who have their backs turned to you, his teammates, and he’s giving them instruction and he’s giving them guidance.
“And for him to be able to talk to a team from behind a team is an unbelievably unique situation. And he knows what he’s talking about.”
The debate for who’s better–MJ or LeBron? –will go on FOREVER but having Coach K in your corner doesn’t hurt.
About Mike Johnson