Detroit Pistons legend and two-time NBA champion Bill Laimbeer has spoken up about his thoughts on who the greatest player of all time is, the conversation between LeBron James and Michael Jordan. Something that has been a hot topic recently, especially after King James moved into first place on the playoff scoring list, passing the great MJ.
The 6 foot 11 center played 13 years in the NBA playing the majority of his career, and most successfully in the Detroit Pistons jersey. But Laimbeer also played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, a team LeBron James has transformed and brought major success to.
Before LeBron arrived in the NBA, the Cavaliers were not very successful, never making the NBA Finals or winning a championship, but the King has changed all that.
After 4-all star appearances, 2 championships, being the leader in rebounds for a season, becoming the Detroit Pistons all-time leader in rebounds and getting his number 40 jersey retired by the Pistons, Laimbeer has cemented his career as a great one. Recently, Bill spoke up and gave his input into the 'LeBron or Jordan' discussion.
Bill Laimbeer picks between the King and MJ
It seems all the media wants to talk about right now is the battle for the greatest off all time position, and this battle being between LeBron James and Michael Jordan.
Many people have strong views on MJ being the greatest, while others feel a justification for the King's greatness. Retired Pistons big man Bill Laimbeer is among the group who feel James is greater than Michael.
"I'll take LeBron James, absolutely," Laimbeer said confidently. Bill gave a reason for his opinion, saying:
"LeBron can do anything.
Michael couldn't get all the rebounds. He couldn't be the assist man like LeBron James can. He was very focused on scoring, a deadly assassin, but the rest of the part of his game, LeBron James is better than Michael Jordan."
This is a huge statement coming from one of the all time greats. Someone who has faced Jordan, and along with the help of his team gave Jordan problems in the early parts of his career.
Can LeBron ever be labeled the G.O.A.T?
A lot of people feel, no matter what King James accomplishes, he can never be ranked above Jordan as the greatest in NBA history. While a lot of others believe he has what it takes, and can do so. LeBron is the only player in history to lead both teams in all major statistics during the NBA Finals, he did so against the greatest regular season team in league history, came back from down 3-1 and brought a championship home to the city of Cleveland. Many will look to this as one key reason LeBron can be the greatest. Others will look at Mike's perfect 6-0 record in the NBA Finals, and winning the Finals MVP on all six occasions.
Either way, however you want to look at it, this will continue to be a hot discussion for many years, especially if the King keeps playing at such a high level and can win more championships. Whether you like MJ or LJ, it doesn't matter, as long as you appreciate them both for what they've done for the game of basketball.
