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"Ain't nobody doing that again" - Dominique Wilkins says LeBron James' 20-year dominance will never be replicated


"Ain't nobody doing that again" - Dominique Wilkins says LeBron James' 20-year dominance will never be replicated originally appeared on Basketball Network.

Dominique Wilkins is one of the NBA's all-time greats who has always admire d LeBron James. He knew early on that James was special, but Wilkins was even more impressed by how LeBron utilized all his strengths as a player with remarkable consistency.

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As an athletic player himself, Wilkins recognizes James' physical attributes. However, "The Human Highlight Film" also realized that James was more than just another electrifying player.

For Wilkins, LeBron was an exceptional all-around player. Moreover, Wilkins did not expect James to exceed everybody's expectations and defy what was possible in the NBA.

"LeBron always had a size and agility advantage over players but also the mentality," Wilkins said in 2023. "He basically said, 'I can do whatever I want and whenever I want to do it' throughout his career. Like, for what, 20 years now? Freak of nature."

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"That's freakish, man, what we've seen from LeBron," he added. "Ain't nobody doing that again. I'm looking into the future and going out on a limb. Ain't. No. Body."

Wilkins doesn't care about what LeBron's critics say

Unlike most of his fellow NBA superstars, James doesn't prioritize scoring. While coaches love that mentality, some fans and analysts have criticized LeBron for passing the ball a little too much.

Admittedly, James considers himself a pass-first type of player. By embracing this mindset on the court, he never won more than one scoring title despite often finishing the season as one of the top scorers in the league.

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As per Wilkins, who was the NBA's scoring champion in 1986, what naysayers sa y about James' approach to scoring is the least of his concerns. He knew that it wouldn't hurt James' legacy even if he was mostly just a runner-up in the scoring title ladder.

"That didn't matter," the Hall of Famer said of James winning only one scoring title. "He was always up there, averaging 28, 29 points. I shake my head. How? He did that every night. Just about every year."

"Even right now, at his age, he shouldn't be carrying the load, but he does."

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Related: "He didn't like the game, but he liked making millions of dollars" - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on why Andrew Bynum failed to meet his potential

Wilkins couldn't categorize Bron

As his game evolved over the years, James became one of the pioneers of position-less basketball. He started out as a point guard and then stretched his game to the small forward position. In recent years, LeBron even moved up to play the four in certain situations.

James' incredible versatility just gave Wilkins even more reason to be a fan. In fact, Nique once emphasized that James couldn't be categorized in terms of position, as he has proven time and again that there is nothing he can't do.

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"He's whatever he wants to be," the two-time NBA Slam Dunk contest champion once said of James in an interview .

"That's what LeBron is," Wilkins continued. "He's whatever he wants to be because wherever he plays, he thrives, so it don't really matter, you know? He's not a small forward or a guard. He's just a helluva basketball player."

To have a legendary player like Wilkins raving speaks volumes about how great James has been throughout his career. It's also worth noting that at this point, LeBron certainly has nothing to prove, but from the looks of it, he's still far from being done.

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Related: "We wanted to send a message" - Dominique Wilkins says Dream Team II was just as dominant as the original Dream Team

This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 28, 2025, where it first appeared.

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