‘No, he’s the greatest’: Tristan Thompson calls Lakers’ LeBron James the GOAT over Michael Jordan in Celtics presser

Tristan Thompson interjected a reporter who called LeBron James ‘arguably the greatest player ever’, asking him to remove the qualifier.

Tristan Thompson projects as a high-quality addition to the Celtics roster. He’s a historically great offensive rebounder statistically, and will provide them with a real big man able to bang with the biggest centers in the league.

Thompson brings championship pedigree, as he played a crucial role in the Cavaliers’ improbable comeback in the 2016 NBA Finals. Having played alongside LeBron James for arguably the best years of his career, few have more first-hand experience of his greatness.

Also Read: “I can see LeBron James’s exit strategy”: Skip Bayless speculates Lakers superstar will retire when contract extension ends in 2023

Tristan Thompson calls LeBron James ‘the greatest’

One of the most eye-catching questions fielded to Tristan Thompson in his first press conference as a Celtic was about LeBron. The reporter in question was only just in the process of calling him ‘arguably the greatest player ever’.

Thompson interjected him appropriately, corrected him to ‘The greatest’ and took a sip of water to drive the point home.

While being asked about playing with arguably the greatest player ever in LeBron, Tristan Thompson immediately interjects and says, “The greatest player,” before taking a sip of water.

— Marc D’Amico (@Marc_DAmico) December 3, 2020

Also Read: ‘It makes me work even harder to get to the level of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson’: When LeBron James addressed GOAT comparison in high school

Thompson is looking forward to playing with his new Boston Celtics teammates

The 29-year-old center had some great interview answers overall. He talked about hearing that teams which wanted to recruit a player often gave them a hard time physically in the playoffs. Since the Celtics had given him that treatment, he wasn’t surprised they came calling.

Thompson also says he draws inspiration from Marcus Smart’s energy on defense. The big man wishes to have the same kind of impact as Smart on the less glamorous end of the floor.

Tristan Thompson says he would be honored to help get us over the championship hump: “I think this was the best decision for me and my career, to join a team that’s trying to do something special.”

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) December 3, 2020

Given that he’s made all the right noises so far and how he fits on paper, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him play a big role for the Celtics this year.