Michael Jordan is widely regarded as the greatest basketball player of all time. Evidently, many believe Jordan would succeed in the NBA regardless of the era in which he played.
But former NBA star Gilbert Arenas has a different opinion about it. Agent Zero recently revealed that if MJ played in today’s NBA, he wouldn’t be perfect like LeBron James. Arenas shared his thoughts in a recent episode of the ‘I Am Athlete’ podcast.
“If we take MJ and take LeBron and switch them in eras, Michael Jordan’s personality — the way he lived in his life — he will not be perfect like LeBron is. When we’re talking about the whole package. When we’re talking about Ja Morant and the silliness he’s doing and that’s tarnishing his legacy, you take MJ’s personality, the gambling, and all that and put it in this scrutiny? No. He won’t be MJ.”
(Starts at 34:53)
Arenas didn’t question Jordan’s skills as a player. Instead, his focus was on Jordan’s personality and his gambling habits off the court.
Considering the presence of social media in the modern era, there’s a chance that Mike would get called out for those things. As a result, Jordan’s god-like image would be put at risk.
On the other hand, LeBron James has managed to maintain a spot-free image throughout his career. If Jordan played in the modern era, maybe he wouldn’t be the GOAT, and LeBron would hold that title.
Who Is The GOAT Between Michael Jordan And LeBron James?
Sure, Gilbert Arenas may have made a solid point about Michael Jordan’s image not being perfect had ‘His Airness’ played in the modern era. But would that take away from all the great things he still would have achieved in his career? Well, there’s no way for us to find that out.
But what we do know is the fact that between Michael Jordan and LeBron James, the former is still the GOAT, as of now.
An easy way to compare the two legends is to take a look at the number of accolades they have won in their respective careers. Our talented writer, Eddie Bitar, wrote a detailed Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James comparison regarding the number of awards they have won.
To name a few of MJ’s awards, he has six NBA Championships, six NBA Finals MVPs, five NBA MVPs, one NBA Defensive Player of the Year award, and 10 scoring titles.
On the other hand, LeBron currently sits with four NBA Championships, four NBA Finals MVPs, four NBA MVPs, zero NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards, and one scoring title.
Jordan is undoubtedly ahead in the GOAT debate as of now. LeBron is currently 38 years old and theoretically still has a chance of surpassing the Bulls legends as the greatest basketball player of all time.
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