LeBron not concerned with his all-time ranking: 'It's barbershop talk'

LeBron James will go down as one of the best players of all time - if not the best player ever - when his career is over.

For now, The King is concentrating on maximizing the time he has left in the game, and paying no mind to debates over his legacy.

"Where they rank me, who I'm better than, who I'm not better than - I call that barbershop talk," James told Adam Figman of Slam Magazine in September. "That's gonna happen. No matter if you like it or not, it's gonna happen. ...

"It happens with the greatest of all time, Muhammad Ali. With Muhammad Ali, it's who's better, him or Floyd (Mayweather)? Who's better, Tom Brady or Joe Montana or Aaron Rodgers or Peyton Manning? It's barbershop talk. What’s better, ham and cheese or peanut butter and jelly? They can't even talk and people talk about them. ...

"Hopefully people will talk about some of the best qualities you have, more than the stuff that doesn't mean anything."

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Asked what he'd eventually like people to say about him, James already had some of those qualities in mind.

"First of all, that I was one of the most unselfish basketball players that played this game, at a level that he didn’t have to be unselfish - but it's just part of my DNA," James said. "I cared for my teammates more than anything, but when I stepped out on the court, I gave it my all. There was never a moment when I didn't give it my all.

"One thing that they will always be able to say is that I was a champion. They'll never be able to take that away from me."