The hype for Michael Jordan is at an All-Time high these days. Thanks to “The Last Dance” we all essentially have a front-row seat to witness his greatness for the first time since the 90s.
But for many, their stance hasn’t changed and when it comes to the GOAT debate, LeBron James still reigns supreme. On ESPN’s Get Up!, former NBA big man Kendrick Perkins defended his position after making the claim that LBJ is better than Jordan.
“When we talk about LeBron James, there hasn’t been one athlete that has exceeded expectations placed on his name in any sport like LeBron James. Let’s talk about LeBron James a little bit. LeBron James, a career average 27 points, 7.5 assists, 7.5 rebounds — and let’s take it a step further. We’ll talk about a LeBron James who’s arguably probably going to end up number one or number two on the NBA’s All-Time scoring list. We’re talking about a LeBron James who’s going to finish top five in assists. We’re talking about a LeBron James that’s going to end with 10000 plus rebounds. That makes them the most all-around best NBA player of all time and then you want to take it a step further Greeny? Guess what? LeBron James has played 17 years in the NBA, he’s went to the Finals 9 times; that’s more than 50% of his career spent in the Finals.”
He even addressed the “killer mentality” argument that is often used to knock James.
And then don’t get me started with this from Greeny, please don’t get me started with the with the conversation ‘oh, LeBron James don’t have that killing mindset like Michael Jordan.’ Oh, give me a break! Λet me give you a little story. Υou remember when LeBron James left the Cleveland Cavaliers his first time he went down to the Miami Heat. You remember the old letter that Dan Gilbert wrote about LeBron James, he called them everything under the sun — he called them a Benedict Arnold. And LeBron James took it. What did LeBron James do after he won his next two titles with the Miami Heat? He said ‘you know what I owe the city of Cleveland, the state of Ohio, all the Cleveland Cleveland Cavaliers fans around the world a Championship. So he went back home and he went back home and guess what he did Greeny? He won the NBA Championship and he won it in grand fashion.
By those merits, LeBron James certainly belongs in the conversation. By the time it’s all said and done, Bron may very well have even more added to his resume.
Even still, what James has done over the course of his NBA career is nothing short of extraordinary. Perhaps we need a documentary to truly appreciate what he’s done?
