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Golden State Warriors power forward Draymond Green believes Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is the greatest player of all time.
On the December 2 episode of “Throwing Bones,” Green explained why James is his GOAT over Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan.
“MJ didn’t beat the greatest team ever assembled nor did he run up against the greatest team ever assembled every year,” Green said. “You look at the skill set that Bron has, there’s nobody that has ever played the game of basketball that can do what LeBron James does on (a) basketball court. Nobody. Michael Jordan could do just about all that LeBron James does except for he for damn sure couldn’t pass like Bron. I love MJ. I think MJ is incredible. Like, MJ is MJ. Like, we all wanted to be like Mike. Like, I wear 23. C’mon now. Like, we all wanna be like Mike.
“But what LeBron has been able to do and how he can control the game and like to do it this long. Like MJ retired. Like this sh*t is grueling. Going to the Finals year after year after year. Bron went eight or nine straight. MJ took a break and right in the heat of that sh*t. Bron ain’t take no break. You know what he did? Went again and again and again and again. So for me, that’s why Bron over MJ for me. And on top of that, the talent nowadays is way better.”
Jordan won six championships, six Finals MVPs and five regular-season MVPs with the Bulls during the ’90s. He went 6-0 in the Finals and three-peated twice. James, meanwhile, is a four-time champion, four-time Finals MVP and four-time regular-season MVP. He’s 4-6 in the Finals, but as Green said, LBJ has faced more formidable teams than Jordan did.
James guided the Cleveland Cavaliers to the 2016 championship over Green and the Warriors, who went 73-9 in the regular season and had a 3-1 series lead in the Finals. The Cavaliers became the first team in NBA history to erase a 3-1 series deficit in the Finals. The Warriors signed Kevin Durant in the summer of 2016 after James’ heroics and defeated the Cavaliers in the 2017 and 2018 Finals.
Comparing Jordan & LeBron
Jordan averaged 30.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists during his Hall of Fame career with the Bulls and Washington Wizards. He won 10 scoring titles, three steals titles and three All-Star Game MVPs. His Airness is one of three players to win MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season. Hakeem Olajuwon and Giannis Antetokounmpo are the other two.
Jordan is fifth in NBA history in points, first in points per game, third in steals and first in player efficiency rating. He holds the record for the most points scored in a playoff game (63).
James, who grew up idolizing Jordan, has career averages of 27.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.3 assists with the Cavaliers, Miami Heat and Lakers. He’s the only player in NBA history to win three Finals MVPs with three different teams and to record 10,000+ points, 10,000+ rebounds and 10,000+ assists.
An 18-time All-Star, James is second in NBA history in points, sixth in assists, 11th in steals, fifth in triple-doubles, second in player efficiency rating and fifth in points per game. The King is the only player to rank top-10 all-time in both points and assists.
James, who turns 38 on December 30, is set to pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the leading scorer in league history this season.
Jordan & LeBron Hugged at the 2022 All-Star Game
Jordan and James embraced at the 2022 All-Star Game in Cleveland. Jordan was the last player introduced during the halftime ceremony celebrating the top 75 players in NBA history. After the ceremony ended, James went up to Jordan and the two icons shared an emphatic hug.
“I did not want to lose the opportunity to shake the man’s hand that inspired me throughout my childhood,” James said, via Elizabeth Karpen of the New York Post. “I haven’t had much dialogue with him in my 20 years or 19 years in this business, but part of me wouldn’t be here without MJ’s inspiration. I always wanted to be like him growing up.
“It’s crazy that the game-winning shot tonight was a fadeaway, and it was inspired by MJ. The way he wore his shoes, the way he wore his uniform, I mean, all the way down to some of the cars that he drove, how much he inspired me. I didn’t want to waste that opportunity because we’re just not in the same building a lot and haven’t been in the same building a lot throughout my career. It meant something to me.”
Jordan and LeBron have combined to win nine regular-season MVPs, 10 championships and 10 Finals MVPs.
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