Back in late December, NBA phenom LeBron James shook things up in the basketball world after he declared himself "the greatest player of all time," citing his incredible 2016 championship run with the Cleveland Cavaliers as reason enough to slap himself with the GOAT tag.
Now, NASCAR driver Kyle Busch may not be known for his hard-hitting basketball analysis, but as someone who hasn't shied away from self-declaring his own greatness, he knows a thing or two about over-the-top and controversial statements. Which is why it may be somewhat shocking that Busch doesn't actually think that the current Los Angeles Lakers star should have gone as far as he did.
"I'm kinda weirded out by what LeBron James had to say a few weeks ago about he feels as though he's the greatest of all time," Busch told NBC Sports in a recent interview. "You can't self-proclaim that. I'll never self-proclaim myself as the greatest of all time."
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After overcoming a three-games-to-one series deficit against the Golden State Warriors and leading the Cavs to their first championship in over half of a century, James pulled no punches when it came to what that historic moment meant to him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5iKYAaMSbM
"That one right there made me the greatest player of all time. That's what I felt," LeBron said during the "More Than An Athlete" series that aired on December 30. "I was super, super ecstatic to win one for Cleveland because of the 52-year drought. The first wave of emotion was when everyone saw me crying, like, that was all for 52 years of everything in sports that's gone on in Cleveland. And then after I stopped, I was like -- that one right there made you the greatest player of all time."
Kyle Busch has his own championship experience, winning the Cup Series title back in 2015. But he's still not ready to call himself one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history just yet.
"I'm not going to answer that question," Busch said. "Because it's not for me to answer."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwIz0Hxh4GY
That being said, being the all-time Xfinity Series wins leader (92) and the second-most wins leader in all three of NASCAR's national touring series (194), Busch isn't afraid to at least put himself in the NASCAR GOAT conversation.
"Will I put myself in the discussion and say am I one of (the greatest ever)? Yes," he said. "Do I feel as though I could be one of the greatest of all time, like if it's top five that you're talking about? I would say yes.
"But never the No. 1."
We wonder who Busch thinks deserves the rightful title of NASCAR GOAT. Is it Jeff Gordon? Dale Earnhardt? Jimmie Johnson? Richard Petty?