The best on the planet?

BEAVERTON – At the Nike World Headquarters here, they call Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James the best basketball player on the planet. Two resource experts were recently on stage to prove it during the launch of James’ latest signature shoe LeBron 12 in this Oregon city seven miles west of downtown Portland.

The experts were ESPN Sports Science show host John Brenkus and NBA vice president of information technology Ken DeGennaro. They spoke before 75 journalists from 12 countries, including the Philippines, Korea, China, Hong Kong, Italy, France, Germany, Spain, England and Mexico. I was the only representative from Southeast Asia invited to witness the launch.

Brenkus said James is unique because of his ability to play five different positions. At position one, he looked at how James can outdo any point guard in driving the lane, stride length and arm strength. “At 20 miles per hour, LeBron can go from the three-point line to the hoop in just 8 tenths of a second even if he’s 50 pounds heavier,” said Brenkus. “The average NBA player can run the length of the court in 13 strides while LeBron can cover the court in only nine. He can release a 40 miles-per-hour pass in 18 hundredths of a second. That’s less than half of the time it can take to blink an eye, that’s faster than the release time of an NFL quarterback.”

At position two, Brenkus examined James’ proficiency as a shooting guard in release point, quick release and shooting efficiency. “LeBron typically releases his shot from more than nine feet above the ground,” he said. “This means if a 6-9 defender is giving LeBron just three feet of space, the defender cannot get a hand on the ball when it is released. LeBron releases his shot on average in only .566 of a second, that’s about 30 milliseconds faster than the NBA average. And he has been scoring more efficiently over the past five seasons. He shot 56.7 percent from the field last season, better than any non-center.”

At position three, Brenkus broke down James’ advantages as a small forward in size mismatch, power and chase-down blocking. “One of the reasons his slashing ability is so effective is his strength,” he continued. “At 6-8, 250 pounds, LeBron is about an inch taller and 25 pounds heavier than the average NBA small forward. And when dunking on a drive to the lane, LeBron swings his arm at roughly 1124 degrees per second as fast as a Chinook helicopter blade swings at 1125 degrees per second. One of the stapes of LeBron’s game is his chase-down block. After LeBron tracks a player down, we’ve measured him swatting the ball away only 150 milliseconds after it was released, about a quarter of the time it takes for an NBA player to typically shoot the ball. When he hits the ball, he can impart nearly 30 Gs of acceleration on the ball. We’ve measured one of his swats ricocheting more than 25 feet off the glass.”

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At position four, Brenkus said James is in a class of his own as a power forward in hand-size, playing above the rim and jump force. “When dunking, his 9.25 inch hand, 25 percent larger than an average male’s, generates more force than a heavyweight boxer’s punch,” he said. “On alley-oops, he uses his 40-plus-inch vertical to launch his body high enough to reach balls over 11 1/2 feet above the court. If a 5-9, 165-pound man could generate the same amount of force as LeBron when he jumps, he would have an otherworldly 57-inch vertical.”

Finally at position five, Brenkus analyzed James’ superhuman size, range and power output as a center. “LeBron’s 7 feet and 1/4 inch wingspan is 4.25 inches longer than typical human proportions set by Da Vinci’s Vitruvian man,” he said. “LeBron’s standing reach is 8-10 1/4 – that means he could theoretically pet a male Asian elephant on the head while still standing flat on his feet. Because of his size and athleticism, LeBron can cover an enormous area of the court. Combine his 40-plus-inch vert with his wingspan and this gives him a range of about 3,800 cubic feet. That’s a volume larger than a school bus and about 200 cubic feet larger than the average NBA center. When jumping, he can generate a peak power output of about 9,300 watts. This means at takeoff, for an instant, he generates enough power to light up more than four lighthouses.”

DeGennaro, a genius in analyzing statistics, came up with even more astounding data to justify James’ recognition. “LeBron has led the league in PER (player efficiency rating) since he entered the league in 2003-04 at 27.89,” he said. “No active player had a higher season PER than LeBron’s four MVP seasons. PER is a rating of player per-minute productivity that tries to bring together all of a player’s contribution to the game. Adding a player’s positive contributions and subtracting the negative plays gives a numerical snapshot of the player’s influence. The PER average is 15.”

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DeGennaro pointed out that James scores 49.74 percent of his baskets at the rim, shooting 78.3 percent from the field. With James on the court, Miami showed an 11.4 percent increase in field goal conversions in the restricted area last season. Complementing his post play, James raised his three-point accuracy to over 38.5 percent the last three years. “In addition to scoring, he also creates opportunities for teammates, finishing in the top 10 in the league in assists five years in his career,” continued DeGennaro. “Miami saw a 4.4 percentage point gain in field goal percentage and a 3.5 percentage point gain in three-point field goal shooting with James on the floor.”

Against the greats of the game, DeGennaro said James is at the top of the list in averaging at least 25 points, six rebounds and six assists in 10 seasons, eclipsing Oscar Robertson’s record of nine. Behind James in the ladder are Robertson, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan and other Hall of Famers. James tied with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with most playoffs averaging at least 25 points, seven rebounds, four assists and over 50 percent field goal shooting and overshadowing legends like Charles Barkley and Hakeem Olajuwon.

James, of course, is a four-time NBA MVP, a two-time Finals MVP, an eight-time All-NBA First Teamer, a 10-time All-Star, a 26-time Player of the Month Awardee, a 45-time Player of the Week Awardee, a five-time All-Defensive First Teamer and a Rookie of the Year.

With James’ incredible prowess as a basketball player in mind, Nike designed his latest signature shoe to enhance his explosiveness while combining three key benefits – superior cushioning, harnessed support and natural flexibility. “LeBron showcases an extraordinary blend of strength, court vision, efficiency and explosive speed while competing at basketball’s highest level,” a Nike briefer said. “His rare skill set requires innovative footwear tailored to he specifications of his multidimensional game.” And so was created the LeBron 12.