LeBron James and Michael Jordan are always the two players that headline the conversation of the greatest players of all time. While there are errant mentions of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or Kobe Bryant in the conversation, the vast majority choose between MJ and LBJ.
The media has been discussing LeBron and MJ for years now, with the conversation bound to become an even bigger talking point as James is playing in the twilight of his career. Some of the biggest voices in this debate have been Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith.
Bayless and Smith have both been team Jordan for the longest time, with Skip, in particular, holding a strong anti-LeBron stance when it comes to discussing this topic. However, an old video of the two during their time at ESPN has surfaced in which they admitted that LeBron is a better all-around player and more skilled than MJ.
https://twitter.com/MaskedLBJ/status/1518417584223244288
“LeBron James does have this going for him. He’s a better all-around player than Michael and them. He has more skills than Michael. He’s a point guard, he’s a better passer, he’s a little better rebounder, and he can play defense”, Bayless said.
“We know that, we know that”, chimed in Smith.
This is quite a revealing clip considering how both analysts have picked the side of MJ over LeBron for years now. However, this could also just be a reflection of the natural talent both players had, with there being little doubt that LeBron has a lot of natural gifts with his size and explosive power.
Nowadays, Bayless reiterates that one bad season with the Lakers will haunt LeBron’s legacy forever and compares the 21-22 Lakers season with Jordan’s Washington Wizards. Smith did the same and declared the GOAT conversation as ‘closed’ after the Lakers missed the playoffs this season.
