Tuesday, May 29, 2018

The Michael Jordan vs. Lebron James debate

I grew up watching and idolizing Michael Jordan. I think he is the greatest player in the history of the NBA. I have also been a huge Lebron James fan since his rookie year and he has lived up to all the hype since he entered the league. I love both of these players and am getting a little tired of people always arguing over who is the greatest player.

I've been guilty of ranking players by order of greatness in the past and will probably continue to share my opinion about it in the future, but one thing I 've learned when doing this is that there are many very passionate fans out there. We all have our preferences and favorites, but some of these fans have some serious blinders on and can be very close minded and angry if they don't agree with you.

One problem with this debate is how to define greatest. Is it the best player, most successful, highest skill level, most records, most amazing highlights? Winning championships is definitely part of the equation but I don't like putting too much stock into that. Bill Russell is amazing with his 11 rings, but you also have to remember that Sam Jones has 10, Tommy Heinsohn, K.C. Jones, and John Havlicek all have 8. Jim Loscutoff and Robert Horry have more rings than Jordan too.

I think Lebron is a better all around player but Jordan has more tenacity and killer instinct. They play at different positions, in different times when there have been changes to how the game is played, and one of their career's is still not over yet so this further complicates the debate.

Anyway, I think as of today that Jordan is still the GOAT but Lebron is right on his heels. I also have no doubt that by the time Lebron retires he will be the undisputed GOAT. I love both players and don't see the need to bash either one. I think Kobe best summed it up this week when he tweeted "We can enjoy one without tearing down one. I love what he’s doing. Don’t debate what can’t be definitively won by anyone."

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