Stephen A. Smith may be changing his tune when it comes to who is the best basketball player of all time. On a recent episode of “The Stephen A. Smith Show,” an ESPN analyst hinted to NBA legend Kevin Garnett that LeBron James’ longevity might make him reconsider naming Michael Jordan as the all-time The greatest player.
The debate over who is the best player between James and Jordan has been going on for a long time, and the longer James plays at an elite level, the more arguments he makes. James is in his 21st year in the NBA and is the oldest active player in the league this season.
Despite his advanced age, James remains one of the top players in the entire league and is arguably the best player on the Lakers roster. In the 15 games so far this season, James has averaged 33.8 minutes per game, scoring 25.7 points, 8.1 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 1.5 steals.
James has surpassed Jordan in many major statistics, and he seems to have a lot of gas left. Last season he became the NBA’s all-time regular season scoring leader, and he was also the league’s all-time playoff scoring leader. James has played in more playoff games than any other player in league history, and he has played in more NBA Finals games than Jordan.
Jordan talking about comparison Comparison between him and James in 2020. He praised the Lakers forward very much, but also pointed out that the two came from different eras and it was difficult to compare.
“We played in a different era,” Jordan said of the comparisons. “He is an unbelievable player. He is one of the best players in the world, if not the best player in the world. I know it is a natural tendency to compare eras and that will continue to happen .I’m a fan of his and I love watching him play.
“As you can see, our league is starting to recruit very talented players. I think he’s left his mark and he’s going to continue to do that. But when you start comparing, I think that’s what it is. That’s just standing measurement. I take that with a grain of salt. “There’s no question he’s a great basketball player. “
Jordan is famously competitive, so he won’t come out and admit that James has had a great career. Still, there’s clearly respect there, and it’s mutual. James said he grew up idolizing Jordan and even decided to wear No. 23 early in his career because of the Chicago Bulls legend.
The main argument between Jordan and James is that the former won six championships while the latter only won four. However, while Jordan won all six championships with the same team, James did so with three different teams. He found success with different teammates, coaches, and systems, but all of Jordan’s championships came with the same team, the same coach, and the same partner, Scottie Pippen.
At the end of the day, both James and Jordan have incredible resumes, and as such, they will both be remembered as absolute greats in basketball. The debate over who is better is subjective and probably won’t end anytime soon.