Vader

LeBron does have the rings to show. Here is my reason

Yes, LeBron has the rings to show, but he has twice as many championship losses.

Russell and Wilt played in different areas where a three isn't needed, and being a tall dominant center got you far

And Lebron's stature has gotten him far.

in 2010 the three evolved and it is harder to be a dominant big with crazier athletic genes, especially with the development of the modern guard being so hard. He went from a dominant post scorer to a 3 pt and all around scorer, which is extremely hard to do and especially at his age where his stats seem to be as good as they were in his prime.

This isn't true at all. LeBron was only a post scorer in 2012 and 2013 seasons (arguably his best seasons.) LeBron has always been a fairly decent three point shooter with his percentage being around 33-37% throughout the seasons. I give credit to LeBron for his longevity, but the transitioning era benefited LeBron as much as it did any guard since it was conducive to his skill set, i.e. perimeter and paint scoring. Remember LeBron didn't have much playoff success until after the 2011 season. His one Finals appearance was against the San Antonio Spurs, where his team got swept.

He quickly evolves to the game. If he had the clutch gene, I think he would have a better resume, but he is pretty damn impressive

LeBron hasn't really adapted his game. He plays in the same style he has always played, and that's one where he's the center of the offense. This was reigned in a bit by Pat Riley and Eric Spolstra during his time in Miami. I suspect this is the case because he entered the league straight from high school, where his being the center of the offense was enabled by his high school coach. (This tends to be case with many out of high school superstars a la Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, etc.) He too has never really learned the team aspect of basketball--only briefly in Miami.

I'll give LeBron James credit this year for being more deferential especially to Anthony Davis, but I suspect this is the case because AD hasn't made any long-term commitment to the Lakers.

Furthermore, LeBron's clutch gene is underrated. He's not Michael Jordan, but he has proven himself clutch in high leverage moments--most notably Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics in 2012.

In 2019, it was his first time we have not seen Lebron in the playoffs since 09 and in the finals since 11.

Yes because he left an underwhelming Eastern Conference and couldn't necessarily compete with the top tier teams in the Western Conference with a rebuilt and burgeoning team.

He has dominated the decade.

Not really. I mean if we analyze the decade 1 championship went to the Lakers, 1 went to the Dallas Mavericks, 2 went to the Miami Heat, 1 went to the San Antonio Spurs, 1 went to the Golden State Warriors, 1 went to the Cleveland Cavaliers, 2 more went to the Golden State Warriors, and the last one went to the Toronto Raptors. You can argue that LeBron was one of the more prominent players of the decade--I don't think anyone would dispute that. But he definitely did not dominate. He lost more in this decade than he won.

He also faced the hardest team, the GSW Warriors, he also took them down too, which is impressive.

The Golden State Warriors of 2016 weren't the hardest team; yes they had the best regular season success, but it's interesting that the NBA media often leaves out that the Cleveland Cavaliers were favored to win that series. The Golden State Warriors went up 3-1 on a team that was initially pegged to beat them. Then a bunch of administrative and regulatory shenanigans, poor decisions, and a string of bad luck--i.e. injuries to their best defensive players as well as a poor shooting performance from their small forward--led to a loss by just a couple of possessions. It took all of that for Cleveland to win by just four points in a Game 7, a series they were initially touted to win.

Cleveland did win that series, but no all wins are created equal.

AI doesn't have rings and not a great leader.

Agreed.

IT was dominated by Jordan when the time came

Yes but he and the Pistons also dominated Jordan before that time came. The 89-90 Pistons were a dominant and all-time great team.

I'm not trying to imply that LeBron isn't an all-time great, I just disagree with this leapfrog to the #2 spot based mostly on narrative. Kareem Abdul Jabar is a 6-time champion, 2-time Finals MVP, 6-time League MVP, 19-time All Star, 4-time NBA Scoring Leader, Rebounding Leader, 4-time Blocks Leader, 10-time All NBA First Team, 5-time All NBA second team, 5-time All Defensive First Team, 6-time All Defensive Second Team, Rookie of the Year, NBA All-time scoring leader, and he led the Milwaukee Bucks to their only championship. Magic Johnson is a 5-time champion, considered to be the best point-guard to play in the NBA, and led his team to the NBA Finals and championship in his rookie year. I can go down my list and list the accomplishments and accolades, and LeBron just doesn't measure up.

Who knows? LeBron's career isn't over. Despite being past his prime, he may have a few good years left to carve out some runs that'll have me reevaluate his standing in the all-time greats list. But as of now, #2, no. Honestly, I don't even believe he merits a position in the top 10. I would put in no particular order, Tim Duncan, Kobe, Hakeem, Shaq, and the 10 spot is a bit loose as LeBron's contemporaries can compete just as much for that spot as he could, that being Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, and Kawhi Leonard. But for now, I'll let it remain with Isiah Thomas.