quality:corruption, information:extraction, quality:correction
Legacy

James left high school as one of the most hyped prospects in NBA history. Upon entering the NBA, he made an immediate impact and was voted Rookie of the Year in his debut season. As of 2024, James has been named to 20 All-NBA Teams, including 13 times to the First Team, which are both NBA records. His four MVP awards are matched only by Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, and Bill Russell; James and Russell are the only players to win four MVP awards in a five-year span. James has also won four Finals MVP Awards, which is the second-most all-time, and earned All-Defensive honors every season from 2009 to 2014. While James has never won the Defensive Player of the Year Award, he has finished second in the voting twice and lists it as one of his main goals. His teams have appeared in the Finals ten times and won four championships; his 10 Finals appearances are tied for third all-time. Some analysts have criticized him for not having a better Finals record, while others have countered that James usually performed well but his team was defeated by superior competition.

On the basis of his career longevity and on-court performances, sports publications have consistently included James in rankings of the best basketball players in history, and he was named the Associated Press Male Athlete of the Decade for the 2010s. This has resulted in frequent comparisons to Michael Jordan. In a 2016 interview with Sports Illustrated, James acknowledged that his motivation was surpassing Jordan as the greatest. In February 2018, The Ringer spent an entire week devoted to both players, with Bill Simmons ultimately concluding that Jordan was still ahead. In polls, James has ranked second behind Jordan. The results strongly correlate with age, with older voters more commonly choosing Jordan. Davis et al. of Business Insider stated: "The data would suggest that younger, more-engaged NBA fans lean toward James, as he's still playing. Older generations who watched Jordan play and tune in less today lean toward Jordan." Referring to James as the best challenger to Jordan's status as the greatest basketball player of all time, Sam Quinn of CBS Sports stated that "the margin for error where Jordan is involved is overwhelmingly slim" and that "in the rings-obsessed basketball discourse", Jordan having more titles and an "unblemished Finals record holds significant weight".

In addition to praising James' on-court accomplishments, analysts have also noted his influence on player empowerment throughout the NBA, which stemmed from his willingness to change teams during free agency. Ben Golliver of The Washington Post opined that James' move to the Heat in 2010 "defined a decade of player movement", and that he "fundamentally flipped the power balance between stars and their organizations." James' fellow players have also remarked on his influence, such as Warriors forward Draymond Green, who reflected: "We've taken control of our destiny. And I think a lot of people hate that... I think the doors that he's opened for athletes and especially basketball players is his biggest accomplishment." Multiple current and former NBA players have suggested James' free agency decisions catalyzed the leaguewide trend in " superteams " in the 21st century.

In 2022, James voiced his desire to play into his forties potentially alongside or against his sons Bronny and Bryce. This eventually happened when Bronny was selected by the Lakers 55th overall in the 2024 NBA draft, making them the first father-son duo in NBA history.