Michael Jordan and LeBron James are mentioned in the same breath endlessly as the GOAT debate is one of the main topics of conversation for NBA fans everywhere. Some opinions have more weight than others though, and there aren’t many more qualified to talk about the two stars than legendary Spurs coach Gregg Popovich.
Now, Coach Pop hasn’t said anything about who the greatest player of all time is but he has spoken about the similarities he has seen between the two greats. Michael Jordan and LeBron James may have vastly different games to one another but all the greatest players have some factors that make them more similar than not.
The San Antonio Spurs played the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night, a game after which Popovich incidentally tied the record for most coaching wins in NBA history. Some of the pregame focus was on LeBron James though, who missed the clash with soreness. And while discussing a comparison between Jordan and LeBron, Pop couldn’t help but reminisce about the Bulls legend (via Sportskeeda).
“It’s kind of like when I first came to the league back in the 80s as an assistant coach. I get mesmerized watching Michael on the court, and you know, I wasn’t much help to Larry Brown. I’m watching Michael and I do that LeBron. He’ll do things. He’ll look over once in a while and smirk,” Popovich said.
The swagger that Jordan had, knowing that he was going to beat you is what made him the ultimate competitor and led to him being the greatest ever. LeBron has that same thing, the ability to knowingly pull off things that no other player has been able to in the history of the game. While he is still behind Jordan when it comes to championships and Finals MVPs, it’s safe to say that there are more things that make the two similar than there are things that make them different.
