Metta World Peace recently reflected on the basketball prowess of Michael Jordan and broke down why the 6x champion was the toughest player he ever had to face in the NBA. The former Lakers star took the references of LeBron James and Kobe Bryant to praise MJ’s skillset.
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In his latest appearance on The LADE Show, the 2010 champion discussed the lesser-known yet impactful attributes of the Black Jesus. Following that, Metta brought forward an unprecedented comparison with LeBron James and Kobe Bryant to clarify his beliefs.
“MJ is incredible because MJ is super diligent on fundamentals. It was harder to guard that. And he was quick and strong…MJ put that hand on you, you’re not moving. You ain’t going nowhere…MJ is like in between Kobe and LeBron. Strong like Bron, had the skill set like Kobe,” he mentioned.
Metta being an elite wing defender in the 2000s, his words holds some value. During that period, the New York-born played against all three of Jordan, Bryant, and James at different phases of their careers. Hence, the experience he derived from featuring against them became the driving force of his statements.
However, amidst his admiration for MJ, he had previously voiced a different opinion while picking the greatest of all time. In October 2022, he claimed on X (formerly Twitter) that James was his GOAT, stating, “LeBron James legacy is cemented. Officially the greatest player to ever play. Really hard to say that because I’m an MJ fan”.
Thus, playing against a veteran Michael Jordan certainly caused him more problems than guarding a young James. Yet, the evolution of the latter since Metta World Peace’s retirement from the court turned him into an LBJ devotee. The complexity of the entire scenario undoubtedly gives rise to debates while putting the limelight on the off-court nature of the NBA.
