Subscribe
Follow Us
There is an on-going discussion around the NBA about who is the greatest player of all-time. Is it Michael Jordan or LeBron James? Some claims include that Jordan is a better scorer while James is a better passer and rebounder. Arguments surfaced saying Jordan is a winner and had a killer's mentality while James did not possess that quality.
Some skeptics say it is impossible to tell. Jordan and James played in different eras. Jordan played in a tougher NBA where players hit hard and flagrant fouls were an after thought. James is playing in a league built around scoring and a flagrant foul is called for breathing on an opponent.
Looking at the numbers, it is hard to tell. Jordan averaged 30.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists over his career. He went a perfect 6-0 in NBA Finals with six MVP's, won Rookie of the Year and the league's MVP five times, among many others.
James is averaging 27.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.1 assists over his career to this date. He is a three-time NBA Champion with three Finals MVP awards. James also grabbed a Rookie of the Year award and has been named the league's MVP four times.
The thought of best player of all-time is a debate that will go one forever and never have an answer. That is not the topic of discussion here. Playing at such a high level, there is always a certain feeling inside a player. Some call it confidence but it comes off as cocky. The question remains, who was the cockier player? Jordan or James.
On the Court
In game one of the 1992 NBA Finals, Jordan delivered a record setting performance. Jordan hit six shots from three point range in the first half, tying a Finals' record for three's made in the first half. Ray Allen went on to break the record in 2010 with seven. This infamous performance became known as “The Shrug Game.” After nailing his sixth three, Jordan turned to the scorer's table, shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. Jordan commented after the game saying “shots started dropping from everywhere. It felt like a free throw.” It is unknown if the shrug was meant in an arrogant way. Jordan might have been shocked by his performance or he might have been saying “you can't guard me.”
James put on a show in the 2016 NBA Finals and gave Cleveland a memory that will last forever. In game six, the Cavaliers led by 13 with just under five minutes left in the game. James was guarding Steph Curry at the top of the key. Curry drove to the basket, gave a ball fake and attempted a layup. James swatted the shot attempt with ease and let Curry know about it. He looked down on Curry and uttered words out of the side of his mouth letting him know what just happened.
When you reach the level that these two players have reached, you earn the right to be a little cocky. Trash talking and flexing after a play is made is par for the course nowadays. In this debate, given all evidence, Jordan is named as the cockier player on the court.
Off the Court
During his career, Jordan played with an arrogance all the time. He headlined the 2009 NBA Hall of Fame class and delivered a speech that will be remembered for a long time. He went through different scenarios throughout his career and highlighted his “competitive nature.” He spoke about players freezing him out during the beginning of his career and his relationship with Scottie Pippen. Jordan introduced an infamous quote that said “there is no i in team, but there is in win.” There is no doubting Jordan's will to win and be the best. His Hall of Fame speech surprised no one.
Article Continues Below
During an episode of ESPN's “More Than an Athlete,” James took the G.O.A.T debate into his own hands. He spoke about what it was like to win the 2016 NBA Championship and bring a title to Cleveland like he promised. Beating the 73-9 Warriors is no easy feat and James led the Cavs back from a 3-1 deficit. He thinks with that win, he is the greatest ever.
“That one right there made me the greatest player of all-time,” James said. “That's what I felt.”
After James made that claim, a 2009 interview between Jordan and Michael Wilbon resurfaced where Jordan was asked the same question. Wilbon asked if being the greatest player of all-time mattered to him.
“I don't want it in a sense because I think it disrespects Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West – you know all the guys that prior to me I never had a chance to play against,” Jordan responded. “If you ask me, I would never say that I am the greatest player. That's because I never played against all the people that represented the league prior to Michael Jordan.”
Again, being in different time periods will effect this answer. James holds the edge as cockier player off the court.
Final Answer
The final answer to this debate is that there isn't one. Like there is no answer to who is the better player, there is no answer to who is the cockier player. Both Jordan and James have had moments that make them cocky in their own ways.
With that being said, James deals with something today that Jordan never did and that is social media. Twitter and Instagram gives players a better chance to promote themselves on and off the court. As if James needs anymore promotion, he is active on both social media platforms. Jordan never had that issue to deal with. Can you imagine if Twitter was around when Jordan retired to go play baseball? Or when he three-peated for the second time? It would have been mayhem.
For those constantly debating who the greatest player of all-time is, this is something new to talk about. There are just as many arguments for both sides and no one will ever be able to figure out the answer. Sports is an opinion based entity. Moving forward, this would be a great topic to debate between two generational athletes.
