The Greatest of All Time(GOAT) debate in the NBA remains the most contentious. It usually comes down to LeBron James and Michael Jordan for most people. WNBA legend Cheryl Miller is no exception.
Advertisement
However, it is tricky to chose which player of the two has the rightful claim to the NBA’s GOAT throne, considering the unparalleled resumes of the two. While for Reggie Miller, Michael Jordan is the undisputed GOAT, his sister Cheryl has a much more nuanced take on the matter.
On Mark Jackson’s Come and Talk 2 Me pod, Miller had a lot of difficulty picking between the two. Midway into the show, the 60-year-old was talking about how LBJ’s fastbreak abilities can still send chills down the opponent’s spine. The King is still unstoppable going downhill at 39 years.
Staying on topic, Mark Jackson asked Miller to name her basketball GOAT. She took a deep sigh after hearing the question, and appeared to be at a loss of the words while trying to collect her thoughts.
The 60-year-old finally anointed both players as the greatest of all time in different contexts. Miller told Jackson,
“It’s 1A and a 1B. And it flips for me. Michael Jordan, what he did, where he took the game…Michael Jordan was, it was like obvious, there was the game, and then there was Mike… But LeBron James is that freak of nature, that is beyond generational, what he physically did to that position…”
“Michael was like, Oh, he is a great athlete but LeBron was like, how do you deal with somebody who’s a linebacker and then some and can jump out the gym. It’s unfair,” she added.
For Miller, Jordan’s role in popularizing basketball during the 90s can’t be overlooked. On the other hand, she credited LeBron James for revolutionizing the forward position. She considers James more than a generational talent, someone who transcended anyone we have ever seen before.
As Miller cherished the peak of the 1980s and 1990s hoops, she has nostalgic reasons to label MJ as the GOAT. However, at the same time, it’s difficult for her to discount LeBron’s ability to impact the game on the basketball court.
Miller acknowledges that both Michael Jordan and LeBron James have shown rare athletic feats. While Jordan’s ability to glide through the air remains second to none, James’ balance, speed, and brute force at his size is a lore of its own.
So Cheryl just couldn’t pick any one of them. In the end, she asked Jackson’s co-host and son Bluu to make the decision for her. Bluu hesitated a lot as well, but ended up picking LeBron.
