Dennis Rodman’s former teammate Olden Polynice is one of those who had the fortune of playing against Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James. During an appearance on Byron Scott’s Fast Break podcast, Polynice was asked to rank the three, and James was the one who had to settle for the third spot.
“Jordan’s No. 1 in my opinion,” Polynice said. “Kobe comes second only because he patterned so much of his game after Jordan. And LeBron is third, but it’s like I can go any one of them No. 1 and be correct, and so that’s how I look at it. It’s always these little things for me that makes a difference.
“Jordan was a killer, he [Byron Scott] knows,” Polynice stated. “He’s a killer. The other night during the NBA playoffs, I saw Shai Gilgeous score 14 points. I’m like, ain’t no way in hell Michael Jordan’s gonna be held to 14 points, not in the playoffs. Ain’t no way in hell… No way Kobe’s going to be held, so that’s why I’m giving those guys the edge over LeBron.”
Polynice was referring to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scoring 14 points in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Minnesota Timberwolves. He claimed Jordan would never have been slowed down to that extent, and he’s technically right.
The fewest points that Jordan scored in a playoff game in his career were 15 against the New York Knicks in 1989. He only failed to score 20 points in the postseason six times in 179 outings, which is incredible. That happened a lot more often when it came to Bryant, but many of those were earlier in his career before he became a star.
Jordan and Bryant’s killer mindset is what separates them from James for Polynice. He also later added that the longevity aspect when it comes to the Los Angeles Lakers star is getting a bit too much now. Polynice stated that it’s time for James to think about retiring.
LeBron James’ Former Coach Felt LeBron James Lacked Killer Mentality
Polynice isn’t the first to have used this argument about the mindset. Back in 2020, James’ former coach, Michael Malone, picked Jordan over him because he didn’t have the killer mentality.
“It’s always an ongoing argument about who is the GOAT. Michael obviously is up there and is the greatest of all time.”
“There are not many Michael Jordans out there. I coached LeBron James for five years and have a great relationship with him. LeBron did not have the same mindset or killer mentality that Michael Jordan is supposed to have had. But LeBron James is arguably the greatest of all time as well…”
“Michael Jordan was not just a great player. He would reach into your chest and pull your heart out if he had to win a game. You don’t see that really often. He had that killer mindset and brought it every single night. That’s why all of these many years later, he’s the greatest of all time.”
This was before Malone and James fell out after the Denver Nuggets beat the Lakers in the 2023 playoffs, so he wasn’t trying to take a shot. He and many others believe that Jordan’s killer mentality is what separates him from James.
