A LeBron James vs. Michael Jordan argument not based on statistics
Can you really say that LeBron James now having secured a fourth NBA championship alongside a fourth Finals MVP title has breathed new life to the debate of greatest of all-time between him and Michael Jordan than what was already the case?
Probably not.
James will eventually retire one day and, based on the trajectory of his career, will be at or near the top of virtually every statistical category. Not exactly something that needs a spoiler-alert disclaimer.
Michael Jordan, meanwhile, will continue to hold what many consider to be his ultimate trump card: a perfect 6-0 record in the NBA Finals with six NBA Finals MVPs.
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With that in mind, a more reasonable person would forsake an argument which looks to be an exercise in futility and call it a coin-toss. A choice-based entirely on preference.
Except, when it comes to sports, there is never really a subject so sophisticated that it needs to be dissected by the sharpest minds of the world. Pretty much what you see is what you get.
This is why Michael Jordan remains the greatest of all-time. There was never a moment when he was on a basketball court that a sports fan on this planet had something more compelling to do than watch him.
If you had the pleasure of viewing The Last Dance documentary that chronicled Jordan’s rise to greatness which aired earlier this year, it played out like a cinematic masterpiece that was less akin to a Shakespearean play than Tupac Shakur’s famous single “Hit ‘em up.”
Whether it was a teammate or a toddler, no one ever seemed to be beyond Jordan’s reproach.
Stephen A. Smith once recounted on First Take an exchange Jordan had with a teammate who asked him to bring his “A-game” before a contest. Jordan’s response: “please, bring a game.”
There were the times Jordan would drive up to an arena in a fancy sports car with a cigar in his mouth asking some of the players on the opposing team who his defensive matchup would be for the night.
His response: “Ha… 50.” As in the number of points he would score as if it were a foregone conclusion.
And yet, they would relay that information to his defensive matchup in the same fashion as someone who had just learned of the weather report.
His dominance of the game of basketball was so widely disproportionate to that of his counterparts that, even in spite of how he would torment them, they would still talk about him glowingly as if he was coached through the use of a bible rather than a playbook.
It’s almost absurd, if not mildly hysterical, to think about. The man held a competitive fire that could never be surpassed, only matched.
During his Hall of Fame enshrinement speech, he stood in front of a room filled with, one would guess, many of the closest relationships he has held throughout his life and basically insulted everyone there with the exception of his mother. When the room erupted in laughter as he made light of the possibility he would return to the game at age 50, he actually took offense.
If that wasn’t amusing enough, consider that the man being thrown in the fire against him as the new heir apparent carries a temperament that is only inferior to, say, mother Theresa. LeBron James is arguably one of the nicest and most socially-conscious athletes in the history of sports.
In fact, he’s such a great guy that the lone mistake he made throughout his now 17-year career which generated an incredible amount of backlash also ended up providing millions of dollars to the Boys and Girls club.
Jordan and James couldn’t be any more different. That reality is probably no more evident on a basketball court than when the seconds are ticking in the last few moments of a game.
It is at this point that it is worth mentioning a final reason why Jordan will remain the standard-bearer even after James finally retires.
Last Friday, in the waning moments of Game 5 of the NBA Finals, James had the ball in his hands, bulldozed his way to the basket as he so often does, drew three defenders, and made a quick pass to a wide open Danny Green.
It was the right basketball play.
Never mind the fact that this is LeBron James, who happens to be the most famous athlete alive, and he could probably get a foul called if one of his teammates so much as patted him on the back.
But consider for a moment that, beyond being an incredible role model and person, everything that is known about James suggests that he is a control freak.
He is the point guard. He is the coach. He is the GM. He may as well be the agent considering his childhood friend now manages the career of several players in the league, including his superstar teammate Anthony Davis.
He controls narratives. Unless, of course, you’re swayed to think his allegiance to his hometown was what caused him to return to Cleveland in 2015 more so than the three NBA Draft lotteries it won during his Miami hiatus.
The point is why would someone who has a compulsion to oversee everything that exists on a basketball court not want to dictate the fate of a game with that same level of control?
Maybe, perhaps, because James is just as cunning as he is kind. Jordan, on the other hand, was just a killer. He captivated people with his play in a way that has just not been seen since he retired.
And that’s the real metric that counts most when deciding the greatest of all-time. A visceral reaction.