Quote:
Originally Posted by Underdog
Downplay the importance of superstar competition all you want, but NBA history does not regard your opinion.
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Honestly man, I don't think NBA history regards your opinion in this matter
at all. If it did, Magic would be a lot lower on the list of all-time greats because his competition in the West was as weak as Lebron's is in the East. And frankly, MJ's would be lower because the competition in 90s was significantly weaker than it had been in the 80s- and certainly nowhere near what it is right now. Honestly I'd argue that the league is more talented, and it's harder to win a title right now than at any other point in history. Will anyone consider that when Lebron hangs it up? Almost certainly not.
History really only cares about how many titles you won. It gives less than a sh*t who you won against.
But just for argument's sake, in the finals Lebron has beaten Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Tim Duncan, Kawhi Leonard, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Steph Curry- the same Steph Curry who had by 2016 effectively eclipsed Lebron as the face of the NBA, and was widely considered to be the best player in the league- that is until Lebron flat-out humiliated him in maybe the biggest star-vs-star beatdown I've ever seen. Seriously, the only other example I can compare it to is when David Robinson won the MVP, only to have Hakeem completely own him in the WCF.
Simply put, Lebron's competition has been more than good enough. Let's also factor the many, many times Lebron has had to drag a clearly inferior team over the line against an an obviously better team. That's something I don't recall MJ ever having to do even once in his career.
I'd also like to once again point out that us even having this argument is a testament to Lebron's greatness. The only way his detractors can knock his legacy now is by saying that he's not as great as MICHAEL FREAKING JORDAN.
Again, for my money, MJ is the best that has ever or WILL ever play this game. The game and the landscape of the league is such now that I don't believe we will ever again see one individual dominate the sport the way MJ did. It's been a while, so it's easy to forget just how much MJ transcended the NBA. I honestly think that in the 90s, MJ wasn't just the most famous athlete in the world- he was the most famous
man in the world. And
nobody, not Lebron, Kobe, Shaq, Magic, Larry, Kareem, Russell, or even Wilt, so individually dominated the sport that through his entire reign there was never ANY question that he was so easily the best player in the world, and everyone else was competing for a VERY distant second place. That is what Michael Jordan did, and I don't think we will ever see it again.
So no, to me, Lebron is not quite as great as MJ. BUT... it's not nearly as lopsided as Lebron's haters would like to think. In fact, I'd say it's pretty close.