Phoenix Suns announcer Eddie Johnson clapped back as former NBA player Austin Rivers took a jab at LeBron James’ “unsexy” scoring compared to some of the all-time greats. According to Rivers, James does not have the same scoring repertoire as the likes of Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, or James Harden, all of whom are known to be elite scorers.
In his response, Johnson said that the visuals of their scoring do not matter anymore, as James has already proven that he is one of, if not the best, scorer ever after clinching the top spot in the all-time scoring list.
“What is a bag? This man has over 50,000 career points and Austin talking about a bag,” Johnson wrote on X. “8th in 3 pointers made all -time. LBJ Is a point guard deluxe and Austin talking about a bag. 6,000 career points should be disqualified from discussing and rating Scorers. 🤷🏾😂
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To Rivers' point, he emphasized that James' sheer physical will has brought him wonders throughout his career.
“LeBron is number one [in scoring], but his game doesn’t match a prototypical scorer. It’s also not sexy," Rivers said. "LeBron’s game is built on force, sheer will, dedication, his mind, his IQ, the way he is able to dissect and control a game, and power, above anything else. He wills himself to the basket."
James has tallied 42,184 points in his 22 seasons in the NBA. That number is nearly 4,000 points more than the second-best scorer, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who long held the record with 38,387 points.
In 2025-2026, LeBron James will be playing in his record 23rd season and is expected to be one of the key players for the LA Lakers as he looks to snag another title for his career.
Eddie Johnson chooses LeBron James as his greatest of all time
Eddie Johnson, a former Sixth Man of the Year with the Phoenix Suns, expressed his admiration for LeBron James, choosing him as his Greatest of All Time (GOAT) over Michael Jordan.
In March, Johnson tweeted that James is a generational player and that his accomplishments warrant him to be the GOAT.
"We will never see anyone play into their 40's and be putting up prime time numbers like this man is doing," Johnson said. "I have said that i would wait until he retires before i argue his name in Goat conversation, but after this. I can honestly say that Lebron is the GOAT!"
LeBron James and Jordan have been in GOAT conversations for nearly a decade. For now, James is looking to chase Jordan's six title rings as he shoots for his fifth next season.
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