CBS Sports’ release of a list of the Top 25 NBA players of the 21st century created a storm of arguments and debates from fans on social media platforms. The most vocal fans were primarily angry about the late Kobe Bryant being ranked 6th on the list behind LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Tim Duncan, Nikola Jokic, and Shaquille O’Neal.
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Then there were those who used the list to dunk on the legendary Michael Jordan, once again claiming that LeBron was the greatest of all time. While that argument does hold some merit, it’s also a done-to-death topic that has no wrong answers. It’s a bit like Albert Einstein’s Theory of Relativity.
It simply means that time, space, and motion aren’t absolute points but vary, depending on the perception of the observer and their frame of reference. So, those who watched MJ rule in the ’90s will come up with legitimate arguments to indeed prove that he was the GOAT. Similarly, ones who grew up watching LeBron swear by his numbers, rings, and longevity in the game. Mark Cuban, however, provides a distinct point of view.
When asked about who he thought was the best of the best in the 21st century, Cuban first joked and said, “Agent Zero.” But after taking a second to think it through, the billionaire came up with a solid ranked list of his own.
“I would have to go Kobe, Shaq, McGrady, Duncan, Dirk, Garnett, and then you can put any of 15 different guys, right?” he said. This resulted in him getting a little bit of grief from Josiah Johnson, after which the legendary owner of the Dallas Mavericks noted that he could certainly find a space for LeBron on his list.
Cuban also took this moment to measure LeBron up against Jordan to make an important point. “I am a LeBron fan, right? And even like the MJ vs. LeBron, they are two completely different players, you can’t even really compare them” Cuban asserted.
“If you have a good team and you need a killer, you go MJ. If you have a team that’s good and you want them to be better, and as a team get to the finals, you go LeBron. MJ is not going to lift up a bad team; LeBron can. Like, who would I rather have take the last shot? MJ. Who’s going to help your team get better? LeBron,” Cuban explained.
There you go. That should solve it. What’s next? World peace. Just kidding, you all are probably still stuck about Kobe being ranked 6th behind Shaq or something!
