TORI ADDISON
Staff Writer
The sports world exploded a few weeks ago after Michael Jordan announced that he could have beaten LeBron James in a one-on-one game during his prime. Quite frankly, I am more than happy that MJ stepped up to defend his title of GOAT (Greatest Of All Time), as he rightfully should have. For the past couple of NBA seasons, a day has not gone by that at least one show on ESPN did not bring up the classic argument of MJ versus King James. Sports analysts always seem to suggest stats to prove whose better, but this debate requires more than just numbers.
The most obvious characteristic keeping LeBron from reaching Jordan’s legacy is all about the attitude. Jordan played with the mentality of a cold bred killer, he was cocky and he made sure you knew it. Opponents were scared to face Jordan which was exactly what he wanted. In LeBron’s case, how is anyone going to be scared of him when he is notoriously known to be one of the biggest crybabies in the league? LeBron lacks the killer instinct that Jordan was so well known for and his do anything to win mentality is a bit different than MJ’s. Before playing for the Heat, James struggled to produce a championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers. His solution? Jump to another team who would ultimately carry him to a championship, and it just so happened that the team James picked had 2006 Finals MVP Dwyane Wade at the helm. It only took the Heat two seasons after the addition of LeBron to win a championship while Jordan waited seven years before earning his first ring with the Bulls. The point I am trying to get at here is that Jordan worked with what he had while James looked for a team that could earn him a title. LeBron is by no means superior to Jordan in regards to his attitude and mental drive. James’ repeated history of leg cramps during the playoffs is one thing, but I highly doubt he could ever play under dire conditions as Jordan did during the flu game in the 1997 Finals. Jordan was known for his passion of the game and that is in part what makes him so superior to LeBron.
Also worthy to mention, LeBron James is not exactly what I would define as a clutch player. It was Ray Allen who kept the Heat in the run for the title last season as he had the ultimate game winning shot to put the Heat up in Game 6 after LeBron missed a 26 foot jumper with less thirty seconds remaining. It is never a good feeling when the teams’ “best” player cannot be trusted to hold the game in their hands with the clock ticking down. For Jordan, making clutch shots at the right time was not a problem. Jordan took a total of eighteen game winning shots during his professional career and he made half of them, ranking him at 50% with a record of 9-18. To this day, no other NBA player touches Jordan on the subject of game winning shot percentage, not even King James himself who owns 41.7% with a record of 5-12. Jordan’s legacy for hitting game winners started during his college career when he nailed a 17 foot shot with fifteen seconds left to win the North Carolina Tar Heels the 1982 title. Since then, he became infamous for his ability to hit game winning shots as he did again in the 1998 NBA Finals to earn the Bulls their sixth championship.
Although LeBron has a handful of seasons to play before he retires, he still has a lot of hype to live up to if he wants to reign over MJ. For instance, in the same number of career games Jordan had 3,382 more points than LeBron, that’s quite the margin. On a closer comparison, the two are the only players in NBA history to have a Player Efficiency Rating over 27, Jordan with 27.9 and James with 27.6. However, as of right now Jordan smokes LeBron in titles and awards. While it is no doubt that number six will be retired from the franchise once LeBron decides his time is up, it is also no question MJ will never be removed from his throne of basketball glory. He may not rank top amongst all the record books, but Air Jordan will forever remain the most memorable player in NBA history not only for his playing ability, but also for his die hard mentality that no fan will ever forgot.
