Getty LeBron James passed Michael Jordan on the career points list.
Michael Jordan and LeBron James comparisons are crazily revisited in dialogue over and over and over again.
An Instragram post from user LBJposters broke it down in an unearthed interview with Philadelphia 76ers head coach, Doc Rivers.
“No athlete in the history of sports had higher expectations than the man himself in LeBron James, and he’s exceeded them,” read LBJposter’s caption.
“LeBron carried that Cavs team to the NBA Finals at 22 years old, beating a veteran Detroit Pistons team in the ECF yet people hold that AGAINST his legacy because he lost, while Michael Jordan played 7 seasons before making the NBA Finals and gets praised for his three conference finals losses to the Detroit Pistons AND his three first round losses to the Boston Celtics.”
The NBA’s Coach of the Year in 2000, Rivers averaged 10.9 points, three rebounds and 5.7 assists during his NBA playing career in stints with the Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Clippers, New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs.
Doc Rivers simplified LeBron James and Michael Jordan debates. “Look at Michael,” said Rivers.
“It took him 7 years to win an NBA title. It’s because he didn’t trust the system, he wanted to dominate it himself, he didn’t get the importance of using his teammates and using everyone else but, no one criticized Michael back then; and the difference between Michael and LeBron – when Michael came in the league, he surprised everybody on how great he was. When LeBron came in the league they expected him to be great so it was already on him. Michael in some ways, we allowed him to grow into greatness. We didn’t allow LeBron that and he STILL overachieved. LeBron is BETTER than anyone would’ve thought which is amazing. When you read it and go back… you should and read articles about LeBron coming into the NBA and then say he overachieved that?… it’s remarkable. He rarely gets hurt, he always shows up, he’s had some of the BIGGEST clutch games in NBA history yet, no one knows it. It’s incredible. I think LeBron is going to be one of those guys when he retires in 10 years from now people are going to say, ‘Man…LeBron James was one the BEST players EVER.’ And we’re going to be back saying, “We tried to tell you that 20 years ago. You’re too busy trying to tell us that he wasn’t, but he is…”
As an NBA head coach, Doc Rivers guided the Boston Celtics to an NBA Championship in 2008. That team included Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce.
Retired from basketball, Michael Jordan won six NBA Championships with the Chicago Bulls alongside teammates Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant, Dennis Rodman, Steve Kerr and head coach Phil Jackson.
LeBron James won four NBA Championships on an assortment of teams in stints with the Miami Heat with teammates Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, the Cleveland Cavaliers with Kyrie Irving, Kyrie Love and J.R. Smith. James also won an NBA Championship last season with the Los Angeles Lakers alongside teammates Anthony Davis, Dwight Howard and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.