There is one ever-divisive question that prevails in basketball debates across the globe. Who is the Greatest of All Time? And over time, while there have been various candidates, the names have generally come down to two – LeBron James and Michael Jordan.
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And for most, it comes down to a coin toss between the two. Both stars were transcendent athletes who absolutely dominated their competition and set incredible standards. James still has a few chapters to write in his career, but for MJ fans, his Airness shall reign supreme regardless of what the rest of LeBron’s career promises.
Naturally, personal preference comes down to the minutest of details in such a nuanced debate. And one point where pundits and fans alike have crowned Michael Jordan as the GOAT is when it comes to the proposed notion of “mentality”.
MJ is perceived as the ultimate mentality monster, who fed off criticism and personal vendetta to thrive. The Last Dance certainly added to the narrative too.
And frequent NBA courtside presence and boxing superstar Floyd Mayweather is amongst those buying the Jordan stocks in the GOAT debate, with the “killer mentality” narrative seemingly shaping his decision too.
Floyd Mayweather described to Shannon Sharpe how he dislikes LeBron James’ nonchalance.
Mayweather seems to be one of those in camp MJ who finds LeBron soft. Definitely, a harsh opinion to hold about someone who spearheaded arguably the greatest NBA Finals comeback in history.
Jordan’s ‘taking it personally’ storylines and his character did the trick for him in building a narrative. And while there is no denying that MJ is one of the most competitive athletes of all time, calling James “nonchalant” is bound to raise a few eyebrows.
Mayweather made his observation in front of one of LeBron’s close pals, Shannon Sharpe. On his interview with Sharpe, the duo digressed to their common interest in basketball and the GOAT debate was thrown at Floyd by Sharpe.
“I love LeBron. But one thing about Michael Jordan – he gonna come out there every night trying to kill you. Every night. LeBron be seeming like he’s kind of playing nonchalant sometimes, which I don’t like. If they played against each other, LeBron James is too big and strong and too fast. But if I had to choose one, I’m going to choose Michael Jordan. Because I got to go with somebody who’s going to go out there and give it their all, every night,” explained Mayweather on his stance in the LeBron v MJ debate.
That definitely is quite harsh on King James, if one were to scrutinize Floyd’s opinion. And James’ friend, Shannon Sharpe was quick to defend his pal too.
Shannon Sharpe went as much as to compare Floyd Mayweather and LeBron James to get his point across.
Sharpe’s response to Mayweather’s allegation of nonchalance against LeBron was simple. What if King James is making it feel nonchalant? And it is tough to dismiss that argument, gauging how James’ career has been.
LeBron is currently the NBA’s all-time top scorer while never being spoken of as a “true scorer”. James averages almost 27-7-7 across his 20-year career, and yet isn’t credited enough for being an all-round star.
So, maybe there is the element of how matter-of-factly James goes around his business that has hurt him in this regard. Sharpe brought up the argument while also comparing skill sets to Mayweather to drive his point deeper.
Mayweather is also someone in the GOAT debate for his sporting discipline. However, similar to how James is perceived, a lack of toughness or killer instinct in the eyes of many has pegged him down a notch in all-time rankings.
Sharpe brought the same up in an attempt to make Mayweather reconsider his take. Floyd, however, doubled down on his take. That’s a debate Sharpe just wasn’t winning, it would appear.
