Jordan and James are both incomparable
Lebron James is not Michael Jordan, and that should not be considered an insult. He is his own icon acting out a different philosophy on fame, and while comparisons to his His Airness can be fun, they are mostly unnecessary.
The continued infatuation with how Jamesmeasures against the exacting Jordan standard diminishes what he has spent the past 17 years building: a fresh interpretation of the alpha NBA superstar.
It is an opportunity to finally break free from the Jordan obsession, which sometimes has been detrimental to the perception of thenba the past two decades.
There will never be another Jordan, though Kobe Bryant came as close as one can get and ended up as an all-time great by following MJ’S example. But there hasn’t been another Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-jabbar, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird or Shaquille O’neal. And the game kept going. We let it keep going. But it speaks to Jordan’s greatness, magnetism and fascinating narrative that so many people refuse to allow him to be a 57-year-old figure from the past.
He still sells shoes as if we saw him wearing them in a game last night. And whenever amodernday playermesmerises, the feat rarely stands alone. It must be weighed against some epic, incomparable thing that Jordan accomplished.
The game has advanced, however, in tremendous ways. The players are not as physical as they once were, and they express vulnerability in an open, healthy manner, which some try to use to attack their mental toughness. But in terms of style, star power and personality, the NBA is in a fine place right now. And James is its greatest figure. In time, when you fully grasp the significance of the current era and count all the historically important stars who elevated the game, you will have a deeper appreciation for how clearly James has managed to stand out.
He is already a top-shelfnba legend, and he still has years left to continue climbing. There will never be another Lebron, either.
There is no Lebron versus MJ. It’s a strong enough statement to declare that James is the greatest basketball player since Jordan. And that’swhere the connection ends, with a figurative handoff. They have similarities, of course, when it comes to ego, competitiveness and aura. Those are not enough to make one much like the other, though.
This is the fundamental difference, which few care to consider: James and Jordan are icons from the same sport, but they have never played the same game.
It is true when you look at their body types and the manner in which they excelled on the basketball court. Jordan, a scorer with an assassin’smentality, combined grace and tenacity in a novel way. James, a facilitator and positionlessmarvel, blends power and finessewith spellbinding artistry.
It is also true when you look at them off the court. If The Last Dance has taught you anything, it should spell out how impossible it is to be like Mike: the competitiveness, the ruthlessness, the pettiness, the mental focus, the talent, the unrelenting drive, the idolatry that forces him to be so private. It’s inspiring and frustrating. It’s also impossible to emulate. He’s a genius in isolation. He’s quite difficult to understand, to humanize, and that’s a huge reason for his retreat from the public eye.
On the other hand, James is living his best ‘‘More Than An Athlete’’ life. He’s not as ruthless as Jordan. Court vision is the most special of his basketball gifts, and he sees the bigger picture in the world, too. He idolized Muhammad Ali; that’s where he gets his sense of social responsibility. While James’ version of activism does not compare to what Ali sacrificed, he does speak out on occasion, and some of his deeds are terrific and heartfelt.
James made one hugemistake in distancing himself – and the rest of us – from the Jordan obsession. After breaking Cleveland’s championship curse and rallying the Cavaliers past the 73-win Golden State Warriors in 2016, he said to Sports Illustrated: ‘‘Mymotivation is this ghost I’m chasing. The ghost played in Chicago.’’
No, Lebron. No, no, no. He should have used thatmoment – his strongestmoment – to keep emphasising that he is his own icon, which he had been doing previously. But the temptation to try to win amythical debate was too strong. That’s the pull Jordan has, even for someone capable of standing on his own.
Jordan gained evenmore power in thatmoment. Instead of enjoying the twilight of James’s career, much of the conversation is built on this flawed belief that he can catch or surpass that ghost. It has created an annoying ‘‘Arewe there yet?’’ question that interferes with the ability to appreciate what James has left.
If we’re being fair, the acronym GOAT should stand for Greatest Of Allotted Time. That is allwe can accurately measure.
‘‘It’s a strong enough statement to declare that James is the greatest basketball player since Jordan.’’