The Last Dance was supposed to put an end to the never-ending controversial debate: Who’s the Greatest Player of All Time? Is it LeBron James? Is it Kobe Bryant? Is it Michael Jordan?
However, far from settling things, the documentary has seen the debate rise to a historical peak, with everybody giving their input on the matter.
While some are pointing out Jordan’s competitive as the great thing that drove him towards stardom, others tend to think he was just a bully that rubbed his teammates the wrong way, something that wouldn’t fly in today’s ego-filled locker rooms and softer times.
That’s why Stephen A. Smith, a guy that’s been through it all and that’s watch the rise and prime of both Jordan and LeBron, gave his take on who he would rather team up with:
“There’s only one answer to this and guess what it is? That depends on who you are. If I’m Kevin Durant I wanna play with LeBron. If I’m Kyle Korver, I wanna play with MJ. Do you see how this works? I mean, if you are an alpha male and you are an elite baller who considers yourself a number one option, you with Jordan is going to be a clash. You with LeBron James – LeBron is going to be receptive to give you the ball, take some time for yourself, etc. But if you’re a considerable number two or lower, then Michael Jordan is your guy because he’s the clear number one so you’ll have no problem whatsoever being treated like you’re secondary,” Smith said on ESPN’s First Take.
It’s pretty clear that both James and Jordan have pretty different styles of leadership. Perhaps Jordan was a bully, maybe this era’s more sensitive or James has better people skills. But with those kinds of resumes, you just can’t argue with any of their methods.
