Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is undoubtedly one of the two greatest players to ever touch a basketball. As he nears the end of his legendary career, he spoke to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin on the infamous comparisons to Michael Jordan.
“I never have compared myself to MJ because our games are totally different,” James said. “I have been a point-forward/forward-point my whole life. I have always looked for the pass. MJ kind of looked for the shot. Not kind of, he did. He looked for the shot.”
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James and Jordan have long been the topic of the NBA GOAT debate. James said he believes parts of his game are better than Jordan’s, but that both players have their advantages.
“There are a lot of things where I would say my game is a lot different and a little better than his, but sh-t, he was f-cking great. We’re both great. We’re both great basketball players.”
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James said he idolized the Chicago Bulls legend growing up.
“I never thought that I could be him, but I dreamed of the opportunity to live in the shoes that he lived in,” James said. “I dreamed of being able to be in a big game and hit a game winner as the clock went down. I dreamed of having my own sneaker. I dreamed of flying through the air like him.”
One of the major talking points in the GOAT debate, particularly by those in support of Jordan, is the comparison between their NBA Finals records.
James’ 4-6 career record in the Finals is often held against him in the debate by those who point to Jordan’s 6-0 record. The 41-year-old finally addressed that part of the discussion.
“When I was younger, I used to have the notion of like, people were getting on me for losing in the Finals, and when I was younger, I used to listen to it,” James said. “Like, people will really rather you not make the playoffs or lose in the first round than to lose in the Finals, which is crazy to me. And I almost feel like, is it because it’s me? Everybody has to say something about my career: ‘Oh, well, he made eight straight Finals, but he was only able to win three.’ ‘He’s the leading scorer in NBA history, but he’s played 23 years.’
“Yeah, but I am also fastest to 1,000 [points]. Fastest to 2,000. Fastest to 5,000. Fastest to 10,000. … I am pissed off that I didn’t have a better winning percentage individually in the Finals, but for people to try to turn it into a negative, it doesn’t bother me like it did when I was younger.”
James’ GOAT case is still ridiculous, despite a disadvantage in championships. He has more career points than any other player by a mile and is at or near the top in virtually all the NBA record books. He’s a four-time NBA champ, four-time NBA Finals MVP four-time NBA MVP, and 22-time All-Star.
Aside from accolades, James also has the most complete skillset in NBA history. If basketball is broken down into a list of specific skills and abilities, James has mastered all of them.
Regardless of how his career ends, the GOAT debate will likely never come to an end. James said he ultimately hopes he made Jordan proud.
“I hope I made him proud at least, wearing that No. 23.”
