It’s not a secret that The King has always been a polarizing figure around the league. That’s why some people have been talking about his decline and imminent retirement for the past couple of years.

Truth be told, not many people thought that he was going to be able to lead a franchise back to the NBA Finals after 18 years, especially with a revamped Los Angeles Clippers team. At least, that’s what former Lakers forward Metta World Peace thought.

Metta World Peace Says LeBron James Can Still Play At This Level For 3 More Years

“Honestly, I thought he was done. A couple of years he was slowing down. I thought he’s going to start winding down and probably retire when he’s 40 and maybe not play as well. I didn’t know he was going to be playing this well. He’s playing extremely well. He’s going to be here for three more years (at this level). You gotta idolize that,” said Artest in an interview.

To be fair, it’s not crazy to think that a 36-year-old player is going to slow down at some point. I mean, it’s only natural, as no one can escape Father Time. In fact, James himself admitted that he’s not going to get back to 100% after his ankle injury.

All good things come to an end and LeBron’s career isn’t going to be the exception to that rule. But, barring injuries, there’s no doubt that he can prove Artest is right and play for another 3 or 4 years at the highest level.

Most of the time, the GOAT debate ends on two or three possible outcomes: It’s either Michael Jordan, or LeBron James, or Kobe Bryant. Not many people will tell you that the greatest of all time is someone outside of those three.

Then again, every now and then, someone brings up one of the older legends of the game such as Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, or Bill Russell; citing their unmatched dominance in their time.

Metta World Peace Says Bill Russell, Not Michael Jordan, Is The GOAT

That seems to be the case with Ron Artest, A.K.A Metta World Peace, as he recently said on the Fierce Talk with Ryan Garcia podcast that Bill Russell is the undisputed GOAT because of all the rings he won:

“I think Bill Russell is (the GOAT), honestly. Bill Russell got 11 championships. I look at Michael as one of the greatest. But I think Bill Russell is the greatest. When you can win in your era. That’s what it’s about. Winning in your era. And nobody dominated like that. Not even Michael Jordan,” the former champion said.

Nonetheless, Artest’s words should be taken with a grain of salt, as he’s gone back-and-forth in this subject multiple times. He’s called Kobe, LeBron, and Jordan the GOAT more than once, so maybe he just can’t make up his mind.

Bill Russell is the winningest playerof all time and his 11 rings aren’t likely to be matched. Ever. So even if he played during a softer era with mostly non-professional players, he still dominated as no one else did.