Cedric Ceballos ranks Jordan first, Kobe second, LeBron third—but calls LeBron the best all-around player ever

Cedric Ceballos has weighed in on basketball’s never-ending GOAT debate, placing Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant ahead of LeBron James—while calling LeBron the greatest all-around player he has ever seen.

The former NBA All-Star made the comments during an appearance on the *All the Smoke* podcast, where he was asked directly about Jordan, Bryant, and LeBron. The exact date and full context of the podcast appearance are not specified in the source.

Ceballos didn’t hold back when describing what separates the three legends. He framed them as assassins with different styles: LeBron as a sniper taking you out from three miles away with a scoped rifle, Kobe as a blade-wielding killer on the phone with police, and Jordan as someone who simply gets the job done without theatrics.

“Can’t go wrong with none of them, but I gotta go Mike and Kobe for being loyal, and then Bron,” Ceballos said.

The ranking put Jordan first, Bryant second, and LeBron third. But the order didn’t stop Ceballos from pouring out praise for the four-time MVP’s complete skill set.

“I’ve never seen a better basketball all-around player like LeBron. I mean, pass it, shoot it, dribble it, post, outside, elevate, defend, high IQ,” he said. “All that stuff, man.”

THE ASSASSIN ANALOGY

To explain what separated the three legends, Ceballos reached for an assassin metaphor. It is his personal description of their mentalities, not a factual comparison of playing styles.

“Oh man, it’s like if you have assassins,” he said on the All the Smoke podcast. “LeBron gonna have his big-ass gun with the super scope into this, and it’s gonna be three miles away, and he gonna take you out like a sniper.”

Kobe’s approach was more intimate, per Ceballos. “Kobe’s gonna have a razor blade in his mouth, on the cell phone with the police, slicing you up. Like, ‘I’m killing him, y’all. Better come get the remains of this motherfucker.’”