The Michael Jordan versus Lebron James GOAT debate is the gift that keeps on giving to NBA discourse. Basketball fans never seem to tire of comparing the two legends, and to be sure, there are strong arguments on both sides. Jordan has the rings and the aura, while LeBron has the longevity and the statistical edge.
Advertisement
Anyone who watches basketball is eligible to chime in, but it’s always fun to hear from players who either played against MJ and LBJ or played alongside one of them. Let’s exclude Scottie Pippen from that category, because he’s changed his mind so many times that it’s impossible to know where he stands.
BJ Armstrong played on those great Bulls teams of the early 1990s, so he brings a unique perspective, having shared the court with Jordan every day. It’s probably no surprise that he considers his teammate to be the best to ever play, but unlike many who weigh in on the conversation, he doesn’t knock LeBron to do it.
Armstrong recalled seeing LeBron in the early stages of his basketball journey and being amazed at his physical gifts. “I had the pleasure of seeing LeBron James play as a freshman in high school. He was literally the same size then as he is right now. He was what in sports or in business you’d call an unfair advantage.”
Armstrong called LeBron “an incredible athlete,” but he gave him credit for more than just his God-given talents in becoming an all-time great. He also credited “how he’s played the game” and “his approach to the game” with making him the best player of his generation, and he said that above all else, LeBron’s longevity will be his legacy when it’s all said and done.
Michael Jordan has been LeBron James’ main source of inspiration
The kid from Akron has made no secret of the fact that he’s been chasing Jordan his entire career. LeBron wants to be the best ever, and to do that, he has to eclipse the guy he grew up watching. Just like Jordan, LeBron wears number 23, and he’s spoken before about how influential MJ was on him when he was a kid.
LeBron once told Uninterrupted that seeing Jordan for the first time was like a religious experience. “I literally couldn’t believe it was him,” he said. “I couldn’t believe it. The dude looked like Jesus Christ to me. He was Black Jesus to me. Nobody could say to me anything different.”
It wasn’t long after that meeting that LeBron got a chance to actually face his idol on the court, in what has since become a legendary pick-up game. LeBron has said that he was “unguardable” in that game, but, though Armstrong himself was there, he’s refused to give any details to confirm or deny LeBron’s account.
We may never definitely settle the MJ vs. LeBron debate, but at the end of the day, NBA fans are lucky to have been able to witness two transcendent athletes.
