NBA veteran Gary Payton puts LeBron James ahead of Michael Jordan as an all-round player.
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The Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James debate shall live till eternity, with social media, television debates, and podcasts continuing to feed off their viewership, finding new angles on this eternal barbershop conversation. Nonetheless, it’s always interesting to know a peer’s perspective, especially those who witnessed the game of both the above stalwarts.
One such player is Gary Payton, who had the opportunity to witness the greatness of both His Airness and King James first-hand. The Glove had some of his most iconic battles against Jordan and the Bulls, with the highlight being the 1996 NBA Finals.
“[I tried] to slow him down because you couldn’t stop him”
Hall of Famer Gary Payton tells @TheFrankIsola & @bwood_33 what it was like guarding the great Michael Jordan during the 1996 NBA Finals pic.twitter.com/hAwinejoZz
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) January 11, 2020
Coming off winning the DPOY and leading the league in steals, Payton shocked everyone with his performances in Games Four, Five, and Six, putting the clamps on MJ. While Jordan’s Last Dance may paint a different picture, the stats don’t lie.
Shawn Kemp says Michael Jordan laughing & disregarding Gary Payton’s defense in the 1996 NBA Finals in ‘The Last Dance’ is “a joke.” 😳
MJ in games 1-3 WITHOUT Gary guarding him: 32.0 PPG, 48 FG%
MJ in games 4-6 WITH Gary guarding him: 23.6 PPG, 37 FG% pic.twitter.com/GBuQo4iNNG— NBA Buzz (@OfficialNBABuzz) March 11, 2021
Payton played his last game in 2007, at a time when the league was witnessing a kid from Akron create history. Though the former Supersonics guard was at the end of his career, he did get to see James play first-hand.
Also read: Gary Payton reveals who was harder to guard than Michael Jordan
However, Payton doesn’t hesitate to put James ahead of Jordan when debating who’s the better all-rounder.
Gary Payton states why LeBron James is a better all-round player than Michael Jordan.
While one faction uses MJ’s titles and MVPs to make its case, the other uses LBJ’s individual records. When asked Payton the million-dollar question, the Hall of Famer had the following response.
“LeBron James is by far a better all-around basketball player than Michael Jordan”
– Gary Payton
— Masked In LA 🎭 (@MaskedInLA) September 29, 2022
The Glove had the Lakers superstar ahead of Jordan in assists and dribbling, something that the stats gurus will second, given James is a career 7.4 APG compared to Jordan’s 5.3 APG. Speaking of scoring, Payton did give his nemesis from Chicago the edge, who with 30.1, is the all-time leader in PPG.
While many might think Payton giving James the edge may stem from personal bias against MJ, the nine-time All-Star has the backing of the stats gurus.
