LeBron James' place alongside Tim Duncan and Kareem Abdul Jabbar gets fans hailing him as GOAT

LeBron James, the oldest active NBA player this season at 40 years old, will be making another historic feat following the LA Lakers’ seal of the third seed in the Western Conference. As the Lakers enter the playoffs, James will tie legends Tim Duncan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for second place in all-time playoff appearances at 18.

James has been in the NBA for 22 seasons and has only missed four playoffs, twice during his first two years in the league (2004 and 2005), 2019 and 2022.

The accomplishment caught the attention of NBA fans, as they lauded James for putting his name amongst the greatest players once more. Some fans even called him the greatest player ever to play the sport.

“The GOAT 🐐 continues to stack records,” a fan tweeted.

“Greatest longevity and player of all time,” another fan wrote.

“It’s impressive to see how longevity and consistency have defined LeBron's career in the playoffs,” one fan said.

Meanwhile, other fans have predicted that he will eventually reach the top spot in the list, which is currently held by Utah Jazz’s duo John Stockton and Karl Malone with 19 playoff appearances.

“He’s going to tie Stockton and Malone next year for the lead at 19 and overtake them with 20 eventually as well,” a fan posted.

“18 out of his 22… not too shabby,” another fan wrote.

“LeBron is the king of the playoffs,” one fan said.

With his 18th playoff appearance, James eclipsed Tony Parker, Jason Kidd, Shaquille O’Neal and Clifford Robinson, all of whom have 17 playoff appearances.

James has been the leader for the Lakers this season, averaging 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists. He is looking for his fifth NBA title.

LeBron James looks to collect good habits for the playoffs

LeBron James has played in the playoffs for most of his NBA career. As he leads the LA Lakers once more to the postseason, James is looking to have another solid playoff run with what they have built in the regular season.

“We’re just trying to rack up great habits,” James said on April 7 per Spectrum SportsNet. "Obviously, sometimes the game goes the way goes and sometimes you play a great game and still lose and sometimes you can feel like you didn’t play well and win.

It’s about habits. We’re just trying to build our habits right now going into the final stretch of the regular season."

James has given the Lakers a title in 2020. Before that, James won a title with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016 and got two with the Miami Heat in 2012 and 2013.

The Lakers will play the sixth-seeded team in the playoffs. With one game left in the regular season, the Golden State Warriors are currently in the spot.

James is now backstopped by a youthful Luka Doncic, whom the Lakers traded for Anthony Davis last February.