Letters to the Editor: LeBron James is great, but is he better than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or Bill Russell?

To the editor: I enjoyed reading LZ Granderson's op-ed column on LeBron James becoming the National Basketball Assn.'s all-time scoring leader.

But the NBA is about winning championships, and that's why my all-time favorite NBA player is the late Bill Russell.

Russell won 11 NBA titles in 13 seasons on the Boston Celtics. He also won two college titles at the University of San Francisco and an Olympic gold medal as well.

Vaughn Hardenberg, Westwood

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To the editor: It is interesting that none of the articles about James breaking Kareem-Abdul Jabbar's scoring record mentions that for half of Abdul-Jabbar's career, there was no three-point shot in the NBA.

So, it was easier for James to beat Abdul-Jabbar's record than it was for Abdul-Jabbar to accumulate the amount of points he did. It is not quite fair to say that James has beaten the record.

Still, Abdul-Jabbar was very gracious to present the ball to James after James set the record.

Dafni Black, Culver City

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To the editor: Congratulations to James. He deserves the accolades he's receiving. But, more than his physical abilities, he needs to be commended for the mensch he is.

He has never forgotten where he's from, who helped him along the way and what it means to be a leader in philanthropy and a passionate citizen who responds to the inequities in our lives.

He has also learned from his past of growing up without his father present. He is there for his wife, his three children, his mother and his friends. He acknowledged all of them after breaking the scoring record.

I hope more athletes follow in his footsteps.

Barbara Azrialy, Los Angeles

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To the editor: Mad props to James of course, but maybe now he can finally relax, turn the spotlight away from himself and let it shine back onto his Lakers teammates.

Basketball is a team sport, so hopefully James will help his team jell, see all the Lakers achieve their potential as individual players and maybe win another NBA championship along the way.

Ann Bowman, Santa Monica

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.