It's interesting this. I'd say Lebron has possibly the greatest physical attributes of any player in NBA history period (with Wilt right behind him.) Name one other player as fast, strong, agile and diverse enough skill-set wise that he could probably be top 10 at any position in the league? What prevents him from being the number one guy is his mental side of his game isn't close to on par with players like Jordan or Kobe (though he's arguably more naturally talented than at least Kobe if not both.) I personally rank him pretty highly, I'd say my list would be something like
Jordan
Wilt, Kobe, Shaq, Kareem
Olajuwon, Lebron, Bird, Magic, Duncan
I don't think I could do a 1-10 top to bottom in all honesty. My favourite player of all time is Dream and I personally consider him the best center to ever have played the game, though not the most dominant (hard to take that from Wilt, and Shaq was definitely more dominant around the same era at the 5.) I think Lebron has the potential to move up that list too, he's towards the latter half of his prime but then, who knows how long a prime lasts when you're a genetic freak like that in all honesty? I think the biggest hole in Lebron's game is his leadership/mentality when you compare him to guys like Jordan, but he's literally a contender for the foreseeable future for more rings. Do I think "The Decision" tarnished his legacy a little? Hell yeah, but not for the big 3, the taint for me was both the execution and the leaving of his hometown team the way he did. I personally consider what Durant did this season far worse. Lebron and Bosh joined a non-contender Heat team for a run with Wade and became a dominant force. Durant joined the most dominant team in the league with an already stacked roster and to me that's a far cheaper move to make. I Think the Cavs championship for Lebron is an awesome achievement, though I do think it would've been so much sweeter if he'd got his first ring with Cleveland as a culmination of his story. Still, the man is undeniably incredible, would I have preferred him to have been a hometown hero or a guy who stayed with one team for the majority of his career and then moved around in his twilight like the players who made me love the game in the first place? Yes, but the game has changed, those guys are rare in the modern game, which is something the game's lost. But I can't pin that all on Lebron when so many other players have been doing it for years now. He's not overrated, definitely hated on a lot since the Decision happened though.