The debate surrounding the greatest of all time will never end. There will always be an argument between fans about which player rules over all others on top of the basketball mountain. While the debate may change have new faces in the future, for the time being, it will be focused on Michael Jordan and LeBron James.
Many fans believe Michael Jordan is better because he was able to be successful in a tougher era. Jordan played in a much more physical time period, and dominated the NBA during the 1990s, never losing an NBA Finals and winning 6 NBA championships during that period.
Whereas fans of James believe he is the best ever because of his longevity and his ability to adapt to the league changing around him. James entered the league during the final leg of the physically dominant NBA.
And as the league moved to a more perimeter-oriented game, he was able to adapt, improving the parts of his game that were necessary. James has won 4 NBA championships and gone to the NBA Finals 10 times in his career.
In 2013, Colin Cowherd pointed out the fact that people turn a blind eye to Michael Jordan’s failures, and the advantages he had over LeBron James when it came to supporting cast. Despite this, there has been no conclusion over who is the best to ever do it.
Most recently, the NBA celebrated its 75th anniversary. In celebration, several media personalities put out their list of the 75 best players of all time. Former NBA champion Kendrick Perkins put his list out to much controversy. The biggest criticism was Perkins ranking LeBron James above Michael Jordan as the greatest player of all time.
One person who agrees with that ranking is Isiah Thomas. Isiah retweeted Perkins’ list, presumably agreeing with it. Thomas, one of Jordan’s most bitter rivals during his time in the NBA, has been vocal about his criticism of Jordan, even saying that he was better than MJ and he dominated him.
Thomas and Jordan shared a bitter rivalry for many years. For the most part, Thomas got the better of him. But once Jordan and the Bulls conquered Thomas and the Pistons, the true venom of their relationship appeared.
In later years, Thomas has tried to high-road MJ, saying that he was more focused on other players and that Jordan wasn’t his true competition. And with this latest act, it appears that there will be no mending of fences between the two sides anytime soon.
