Some of us have had the honor and privilege to watch both Michael Jordan and LeBron James at their best. We’ve seen them thrive, fail, and rise again, and, more than trying to choose between one or the other, we can agree that they’re two of the three best players ever.
However, The Last Dance has reignited that never-ending debate about who’s going to go down as the greatest player of all-time in the history books, with both of them putting together some quite impressive resumes.
But when it comes to accolades, Mark Jackson’s giving LeBron James the edge on the conversation. However, he stands by his point of Michael Jordan being the greatest hooper ever, regardless of the silverware and individual distinctions:
“I will say this: When it’s all said and done, LeBron James will have the best basketball – NBA basketball career that there’s ever been. With that being said, I’m saying he’s going to be the all-time leading scorer, he’s going to be a top-5 assist-man in the history of the game with a bunch of other accolades that we don’t have enough time for me to go through. But, Michael Jordan is the best player who’s ever played the game. I think that the difference’s that mentality, that killer mentality. I think I’ve said it already on record: There’s only two guys that I’ve faced that I felt like they were willing to die on the floor and that’s Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, just different mentalities,” Jackson said on the Rich Eisen Show.
Jackson has a valid point here. James has been criticized long enough for his so-called lack of killer instinct, which was Jordan’s biggest strength. Also, MJ could’ve had a resume as impressive as James’ if it wasn’t for his two retirements, and that’s a fact.
At the end of the day, we just can be thankful for being able to watch the entire careers of two of the best athletes ever. Once’s all said and done, we’ll just let you know decide whoever you like the most as the GOAT.
