What did you expect him to say?

LeBron James is on the cusp of breaking the NBA’s all-time scoring record held by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar since 1984. LeBron is just 36 points shy of the record and could set it Tuesday night against the Thunder in Los Angeles or Thursday against the Bucks. His taking over one of basketball’s most hallowed — and long-considered unbreakable — records only adds to his tally in the GOAT debate… except it’s not a debate for LeBron. He is confident where he stands, something he told Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register (and Southern California News Group).

“What I bring to the table as a basketball player … I feel like I’m the best basketball player that ever played the game,” he said. “That’s just my confidence, that’s just what I bring to the table, what I possess. But as far as if the scoring record gets me to another level, I don’t know.”

Again, what did you expect him to say? If LeBron didn’t have the confidence to make that statement, he wouldn’t be in a position to break the record or be in the GOAT conversation at all. Not everybody is going to see things the same way, but it’s at least a conversation.

“I think he’s gonna have the greatest career of all time,” Sixers coach Doc Rivers said of LeBron. “I think he’s already had it, you know, and I think Michaels the greatest of all time. But that doesn’t take anything away from LeBron. LeBron has had the greatest career.”

The impressive part of LeBron’s run is that he has played at this insanely high level for 20 years — his commitment to conditioning, to investing in his body as far back as high school, is paying off now. For LeBron to have played 20 seasons without missing significant time due to injury is a combination of his intense preparation and a little luck. All that work, all those years are paying off now.

LeBron will have another pillar for his GOAT argument once he breaks the record. Not that he thinks he need it.