Denver Nuggets head coach Mike Malone has weighed in on who he believes is the GOAT of basketball. At this point, it’s a debate between LeBron James and Michael Jordan, but for Malone, there is no comparison between the two stars. The 48-year-old sided with MJ on this, pointing out at the biggest difference between James and Jordan to decide who is the better player.
“It’s always an ongoing argument about who is the GOAT. Michael obviously is up there and is the greatest of all time,” Malone said Tuesday in a Zoom call with reporters, via USA Today Sports. “There are not many Michael Jordans out there. I coached LeBron James for five years and have a great relationship with him. LeBron did not have the same mindset or killer mentality that Michael Jordan is supposed to have had. But LeBron James is arguably the greatest of all time as well.”
He only focused on that, recalling how Jordan was never afraid of the challenge he had in front of him, even when he went against physical teams.
“Michael Jordan was not just a great player. He would reach into your chest and pull your heart out if he had to win a game,” Malone said. “You don’t see that really often. He had that killer mindset and brought it every single night. That’s why all of these many years later, he’s the greatest of all time.”
Malone spent five years with the Cleveland Cavaliers, from 2005 through 2010 as an assistant coach, when he witnessed the development of LeBron James until he became that dominant player that left Cleveland and won two titles in Miami. However, Malone believes that Bron couldn’t develop that ‘killer mentality’ that Jordan showed during his whole career.
