Reggie Miller is one of the few NBA veterans who have had the opportunity to play with both Michael Jordan and LeBron James. Even if Miller only played LeBron when he was retiring and James was a rookie, as a broadcaster after retiring, Miller has witnessed LeBron’s career firsthand from the sidelines.
He usually does not indulge in the debate to decide the “greatest of all time” (GOAT); however, on Matt Barnes‘ and Stephen Jackson’s podcast ‘All The Smoke’, he finally explained his true feelings about the debate.
“You hear it all the time, who’s the goat, who’s the greatest, and all that between you know him [Michael Jordan] and LeBron. And I try to stay away from that because I went against LeBron his first year, he was a rookie, my last year, so I don’t have no point of reference. But I will say, LeBron has the greatest career, he has the greatest career, but Mike is the best. But LeBron has the greatest career, and I think why a lot of old heads want to dog out LeBron is because they were never as good as he is, this late in their career. And they want to get on him for that,” said Miller.
He further added, “LeBron at 22 years in, at 40—1, 40 whatever he is, and is about ready to be first or second team All-NBA. As old guys, they were never who? Call them all out. That’s the thing… and for him to be this good this long, you have got to say he has the greatest career, but is he the best? Greatest and best are two different things, and I think that’s why old heads are getting it mixed up, and they don’t want to give LeBron his due. He deserves that, I mean, we all wish we could be playing like him in year 22. I mean he’s about ready to be on one of the All-NBA teams at 40.”
Is Reggie Miller Right In Differentiating LeBron James And Michael Jordan?
Reggie Miller has added another tangent to the GOAT debate that almost all neutral basketball fans will agree with. The jealousy that old players feel toward LeBron is visible when they refuse to acknowledge his greatness. Most people debate their success vs. longevity. MJ fans say that LeBron James won’t surpass Michael Jordan until he wins 6 NBA championships, while LeBron fans counter by saying he has gone to the Finals for 10 consecutive seasons, until the 2020 championship with the Lakers. That debate can go on endlessly.
However, Miller’s opinions give flowers to both players for having a different impact on the game. He implies that while Michael Jordan was the best player on the court in the prime of his career, no one has been more consistent in performing throughout the highs and lows of their career than LeBron. There’s a difference between being the greatest and the best, and Miller has rightly highlighted that as the crux of his argument. Hence, in his opinion, both deserve their due credit for impacting the game.
Pitting both legends against each other takes away the spotlight from how far the game has progressed because of them. Therefore, in my opinion, Reggie is right in differentiating the players to individually give credit to their impact on the game. Comparing players only makes sense in the same era; without that, the best route is to give both the best players in their respective generations their due respect and appreciation.
