Over the last two decades, one debate has taken out the most time in every NBA fan’s life. The one surrounding the greatest of all time. Is it Michael Jordan? Or, is it LeBron James? Since, entering the league in 2003, the comparisons between The King and His Airness have only grown tenfold. However, as former Knicks star John Starks revealed to Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson, he believes that MJ is the GOAT, as Bron keeps weakening his legacy with every new team he has joined.
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Starks played in the NBA from 1988 to 2002. During that time, he represented numerous teams aside from the Knicks. The Warriors, Jazz, and even MJ’s Bulls all had him on their roster at one point in time. As such, he has had the pleasure of watching firsthand how Jordan dominated his opponents. At the same time, he has also seen LeBron’s entire career unfold. Thus, putting him in a position to judge and compare the two men’s careers.
John Starks snubs LBJ to declare Michael Jordan the GOAT
Recently, in an interview, New York Knicks legend John Starks commented on LeBron James and his legacy. He made a bold statement, that The King is actually weakening his claim to the title of GOAT with each passing season. The reason? Well, according to him, Bron’s decision to join new teams shows that he will never amount to the greatness of Michael Jordan.
He goes on to explain that, unlike Bron, MJ stayed with one team throughout his prime. Chicago Bulls were the best team in the NBA for close to a decade. But, even when they were struggling in the late 80s, Jordan never once threatened to leave. Rather than joining the best or convincing the best to join him, MJ believed he was No.1 and that he was the benchmark.
According to Starks, that is the difference between Jordan and Bron. Not only His Airness, but he even threw in the names of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird into the debate. After all, just like Mike they too never left their respective teams. This perspective certainly throws a wrench in the GOAT debate.
LeBron James is hurting his legacy by switching NBA teams so much that it will affect his standing when it comes to LeBron vs. Jordan debates, Knicks legend John Starks told me.
“LeBron is hurting his legacy by switching NBA teams so much that it will affect his standing when… pic.twitter.com/Oit4kxRAaM
— 👑 Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson (@ScoopB) September 6, 2023
It’s clear to see, that The King has a lot of damage control to do, at least in Starks’ opinion. While there can be no changing the past, Bron will still be focusing on surpassing his idol, Michael Jeffrey Jordan. To do that he will have to work hard to equal or perhaps even surpass Jordan’s tally of six NBA Championships. Until that happens, these GOAT debates will go on in the NBA world.
Stephen A. Smith interestingly used Floyd Mayweather to compare MJ and LeBron
Regardless of John Starks’ take, the debate will continue to rage on until LeBron James officially retires. As such, there are plenty of analysts who like to share their two cents about the situation. In fact, recently Stephen A. Smith used an interesting analogy to explain the difference between Michael Jordan and The King.
Speaking to Shannon Sharpe, the two began discussing the dominance of Floyd Mayweather. And, one particular point they touched upon is how Floyd always made his opponents look like “less” than what they were. Something he believes Jordan does in the face of all the people he has played or been compared to, King James included.
At the end of the day, only time will tell how this debate will meet its end. One thing is for certain, when all is said and done, it will either be MJ or Bron at the top. But, no one will ever be able to deny them the epithet of the two greatest players in history.
