LeBron James has built up a compelling case to be regarded as the greatest player of all time but Charles Barkley doesn’t believe he is worthy of that title. During an appearance on the They Call It Late Night show, Barkley hailed Michael Jordan as the best player he’s seen and added he believes Kobe Bryant was greater than James too.
“I think it’s lazy to get into the LeBron and Michael thing because they’re both extraordinary but I’ve never seen a better basketball player than Michael Jordan,” Barkley said. “I always use this analogy because I don’t even put LeBron above Kobe. The difference is LeBron is a nice guy. Nobody ever said that s*** about Michael and Kobe.
“They’re like, ‘Yo man, these dudes out here trying to kill people.’ I always tell people that’s the difference, in my opinion,” Barkley added. “Michael and Kobe, they’re mean guys, they’re going to kick your a** and tell you about it the whole time. LeBron’s a great great player but he’s a really nice man. That’s the difference.”
Barkley isn’t the first to bring up this point to put down James. Two of the Los Angeles Lakers star’s former teammates have said it too.
Mario Chalmers stated that players aren’t afraid of James like they were of Jordan. Chalmers claimed that he had seen opponents get a bit scared when they lined up in front of LeBron but that they were never worried when they thought about that matchup.
Shaquille O’Neal, meanwhile, stated that nobody was ever scared of James. O’Neal believes his opponents respected him but did not fear him.
Whether that’s true or not, it shouldn’t be the deciding factor when determining who’s the greater player. We just need to look at what they actually accomplished in their careers and while James’ resume might not be as great as Jordan’s, it is better than Bryant’s.
James has won four titles, four Finals MVPs, four MVPs, a scoring title, and an assists title in his career so far. He has made 20 All-Star teams, 20 All-NBA teams, and six All-Defensive teams and is also the league’s all-time leading scorer.
Bryant, meanwhile, won five titles, two Finals MVPs, an MVP, and two scoring titles. He made 18 All-Star teams, 15 All-NBA teams, and 12 All-Defensive teams along the way too. Bryant’s accomplishments are undoubtedly very impressive but he just didn’t do as much as James.
As for Jordan, he won six titles, six Finals MVPs, five MVPs, one DPOY, and 10 scoring titles. To go with it, he made 14 All-Star teams, 11 All-NBA teams, and nine All-Defensive teams. That’s a stellar resume and the combination of individual and team success is why Jordan is widely regarded as the greatest ever.
While Jordan’s resume and fear factor have commonly been used as arguments for him being greater than James, there are others too. Barkley himself once stated Jordan is the GOAT because LeBron left his teams to create superteams. James’ decision to jump ship from time to time has helped him win titles, but it has also led to many former players discounting his accomplishments, as Sir Charles did there.
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