There's No Place For Nastiness, Insults In LeBron James-Michael Jordan G.O.A.T Debate

Shandel Richardson | May 9, 2024

David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

The LeBron James vs. Michael Jordan debate is often the most popular in sports history.

Fans have argued for years about who is the better player. Some of it is intellectual but most of today's talks involve tearing down one of the players to make the other look better. And it's taken the fun out of what should an interesting discussion. The older generation calls LeBron a crybaby, a flopper, a ring-chaser. The new generation thinks Jordan played in a weaker era, defeated stars when they were past their prime and say his longevity is incomparable to LeBron.

For once, I'd like to see a LeBron-MJ discussion like this:

LeBron fan -- I still can't believe LeBron led his teams to 10 NBA Finals, including eight straight appearances. The guy has had an incredible career.

Jordan fan -- What LeBron has done is truly amazing. It's been great to watch someone live up to every expectation despite being in the spotlight since he was 16. LeBron makes me think back to when Jordan basically dominated the entire 1990s. He would've probably had eight straight Finals appearances, too, if not for his first retirement.

LeBron fan -- I've heard all the great Jordan stories but I was a little too young to truly appreciate him. Like when I read about when he went into the Boston Garden and had 63 points against Larry Bird. His team lost but I bet even the Celtics fans were in awe that day. Didn't Bird refer to Jordan as "God" in the postgame interview?

Jordan fan -- Yea, Mike became the face of the NBA at that moment. I'd put it up there with LeBron's Game 5 against the Pistons in the 2007 Eastern Conference finals. Twenty-five straight points!!! 48-9-7 and 2 against the No. 1 seed. He lost to the Spurs in the Finals that year but it was a feat just getting his team there.

Jordan fan -- It's so great that I've gotten to watch two generational athletes showcase their talents. It's been an awesome 40 years.

LeBron fan -- I've been watching Anthony Edwards during this postseason. It looks like we could be adding him to these discussions in the coming years.

You don't have to trash LeBron or MJ to make their case. They're equally great in different ways.