Comedian Aries Spears was the latest guest to appear on Byron Scott’s Fast Break podcast, where the now seemingly age-old question was put in front of him. Host Byron Scott asked Spears to rank Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James.
Byron Scott: “We know you’re a MJ fan… But I also know that you can be very objective. MJ, Kobe, LeBron?”
Aries Spears: “That order.”
Scott: “In that order?”
Spears: “In that order.”
Scott: “Okay, so MJ, you got as the greatest.”
Spears: “The greatest.”
Scott: “You got Kobe right behind him, and you got LeBron third.”
There could be a bit of bias involved when Spears puts Jordan at the top, but he is generally regarded as the greatest ever. He won six titles, six Finals MVPs, five MVPs, one DPOY, and 10 scoring titles in his career. Jordan also made 14 All-Star, 11 All-NBA, and nine All-Defensive teams.
James is widely regarded as the closest challenger to Jordan, but Spears went with Bryant, who won five titles, two Finals MVPs, one MVP, and two scoring titles. He made 18 All-Star, 15 All-NBA, and nine All-Defensive teams.
James had to settle for third spot, and he has won four titles, four Finals MVPs, four MVPs, a scoring title, and an assists title. He is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer and has made 21 All-Star, 21 All-NBA, and six All-Defensive teams.
An argument that’s often used in James’ favor in these debates is his longevity. He is going to set records that are going to be almost impossible to break, but Spears isn’t moved by that. He once stated that he wouldn’t rank James over Jordan even if he scored 80,000 points.
Aries Spears’ All-Time Starting Lineup
During this episode, Spears also gave his all-time starting lineup. Neither James nor Bryant got a spot on it, but Jordan did.
“If I had to put together a starting five, I got Magic [Johnson] at the point,” Spears said. “I got Jordan at the two. I got [Shaquille O’Neal] at center. I got [Larry] Bird at small forward, and I got Tim Duncan at power forward.”
That’s a great starting lineup. We start off with Magic Johnson, who is regarded as the greatest point guard of all time. Johnson won five titles, three Finals MVPs, three MVPs, and four assists titles. He made 12 All-Star and 10 All-NBA teams.
Johnson’s great rival, Larry Bird, got the nod at small forward. Bird won three titles, two Finals MVPs, and three MVPs. He made 12 All-Star, 10 All-NBA, and three All-Defensive teams. James would be the pick at this spot for most, but Bird isn’t an egregious selection by any means.
There isn’t much to debate when it comes to the power forward spot, as Tim Duncan is widely regarded as the best ever at the position. Duncan won five titles, three Finals MVPs, and two MVPs in his career. He made 15 All-Star, 15 All-NBA, and 15 All-Defensive teams.
Last but not least, we get to Shaquille O’Neal, who won four titles, three Finals MVPs, one MVP, and two scoring titles. O’Neal made 15 All-Star, 14 All-NBA, and three All-Defensive teams.
Those are some incredible resumes, and none of the players that Spears named seem out of place. They were all among the very best at their respective positions.
