LeBron James is getting compared to Michael Jordan again. As the 2017-18 NBA season gets underway, the debate between James and Jordan is still getting discussed on the peripheral. A report by GQ writer Mark Anthony Green shines new light on the conversation, as he got some specific answers from James about whether he wants to be considered better than Jordan by the time he hangs up those sneakers.
The reason for this conversation and the ensuing debate about the place in NBA history LeBron James will have is that his Cleveland Cavaliers are favored to make it back to the NBA Finals.
If he succeeds in that quest, it will be the ninth time that a James-led team has played for the title. That already includes seven-straight years of appearing in the NBA Finals, resulting in three championships split between the Miami Heat and the Cavs.
How does James view Jordan?
In his interview with GQ, James touched on a number of important topics, including his thoughts on President Donald Trump, how he views Muhammad Ali as one of greatest athletes of all time, and where he views himself in the current NBA. Those are all interesting questions when viewing James as an overall athlete, but they weren’t the topics that most NBA fans want to hear about. Mark Anthony Green did get to the elephant in the room though.
When asked how he felt that he could move past Michael Jordan in the eyes of most people, LeBron James stated that “If I was the most consistent and was at the top of the food chain more than anybody in NBA history.” It’s a noteworthy quote, but James also spoke about his motivations and the goals he has laid out for himself.
"My motivation is this ghost I'm chasing. The ghost played in Chicago. My career is totally different than Michael Jordan's. What I've gone through is totally different than what he went through.”
What would Bill Russell have to say?
When it comes to being at the “top of the food chain” in the world of basketball, nobody did it better than Bill Russell of the Boston Celtics.
He made it to the NBA Finals 12 times during his career, helping lead the Celtics to 11 championships. In comparison, Michael Jordan won six titles in six appearances, Magic Johnson won six titles in nine appearances, and Tim Duncan won five titles in six chances. LeBron James currently has three titles in nine appearances.
The NBA analysts are already predicting quite a few wins for the Cleveland Cavaliers this season and James has a new group of “weapons” to play with after the Cavs added Dwyane Wade and Derrick Rose. If the Cavs can make it to the 2018 NBA Finals, they are very likely to face the Golden State Warriors for a fourth-consecutive year. Can LeBron James move closer to overtaking Michael Jordan if he can help bring the Cavs another title? Or has the current NBA star already matched or surpassed what Jordan did with the Chicago Bulls?
