The two-time NBA champion Isiah Thomas recently appeared on FanDuel’s Run It Back show and made his opinions clear on how today’s generation does not give LeBron James the same flowers as his generation gave Michael Jordan.
Ron Harper, the five-time NBA champion who won three championships with the Bulls in their second three-peat (1996 to 1998), saw his take on social media and called him out.
“Get over it!!!!!” exclaimed Ron Harper on X while he also called out the Pistons legend for “hating” on Michael Jordan.
It seems that the point that Isiah Thomas was trying to make has been misunderstood. This is the issue with the clipping culture in today’s social media.
Everybody was focused on how Thomas called Jordan “the guy who gave you some shoes and warmups” and completely lost focus on the point he was trying to make. He summarized it himself perfectly at the end when he called out the self-hate in today’s generation.
“The basketball that we’ve been watching here and the things that some of these guys are doing, the self-hate that they have on themselves, to me, that’s problematic.”
“They self-hate on each other, and they blame it on us. Y’all are not giving yourself any credit. Maybe I’m giving you more credit than anybody in your generation,” concluded Thomas.
To be fair, Stephen Curry called himself the greatest point guard of all time, and Kevin Durant demanded respect for his scoring records; therefore, it’s not like they don’t blow their own trumpets.
However, when it comes to the greatest of an era, it is shocking how little credit James gets from this generation. The difference in sneaker sales alone symbolizes how much Michael Jordan still influences today’s generation as compared to LeBron James.
But it should be noted that Thomas’s saying James deserves more respect from this generation does not automatically mean it’s a shot at Michael Jordan. Thomas has given Jordan his flowers on multiple occasions.
He’s simply calling out the absurdity that, while the older generation could put Jordan on such a pedestal for being the greatest in their era, today’s players do not give LeBron James the same level of respect.
The flaw in Thomas’ interpretation, in my opinion, is that while Jordan was actively playing, people saw going at him competitively as a sign of respect. Similarly, players today are not simply bowing down to LeBron James while he is active.
However, star young players in the new generation like Jalen Brunson and V.J. Edgecombe have indicated how much the Lakers forward has influenced their careers. But the key point Brunson still made was that while James is actively playing, players would not give him the flowers he deserves for the accomplishments in his career.
When Jordan eventually retired, his sneaker brand was propelled to another level, like scouting top talent to wear more of his sneakers during NBA games, essentially keeping his legacy alive even today.
In my opinion, if James wants to get respect at the same level as Jordan in the NBA even after retiring, he will have to find a way to immortalize his legacy beyond just his records.
