Former NBA star John Salley recently made an appearance on FS1’s UNDISPUTED to talk basketball with Skip Bayless. Bayless hardly wasted any time during the show before bringing up the most widely-discussed and yet the most intriguing discussion on NBA television- Michael Jordan or LeBron James?
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Quite unsurprisingly, Salley picked Michael Jordan as the clear winner of the GOAT debate, bringing a smile of satisfaction to Bayless’ face. However, he also laid out a detailed framework behind his conclusion.
The four-time NBA Champion prefaced his argument with the contributions of Jordan behind the modernization of the NBA. Salley pointed out that MJ’s global influence in the 90s ushered in the modern lucrative era in the NBA, the fruits of which superstars like LeBron James enjoy today.
However, Skip Bayless wasn’t satisfied with Jordan’s claim to the All-Time thrown merely because he was a trail blazer in the league from a financial perspective. He pressed Salley to dive deeper into the on-court heroics of the Chicago Bulls legend, especially when he faced the latter on the hardwood.
Salley recalled his Detroit Pistons days to describe the experience of facing Michael Jordan. “You don’t sleep well.…None of us slept well when we played against Michael. We wind up having an unbelievable concentration,” he told Bayless. The 59-year-old then detailed the unthinkable amount of focus that was required to keep up with Jordan throughout the course of a game. And that’s why he would rather have MJ on his team than any other great player.
John Salley gives LeBron James his flowers despite picking Michael Jordan in the GOAT debate
Salley was clear in his reasoning for picking MJ over LeBron and other all-time greats as his GOAT pick. According to the former Chicago Bull, Jordan was the “original” who redefined the game forever. On the other hand, LeBron and others were merely “copies” who tried their best to emulate the Ghost in Chicago.
However, Salley did tip his hat to the incredible durability that LeBron James has shown in his career. “This kid [LBJ] was designed to play basketball…It’s amazing…I think he can play maybe as long as Tom Brady, maybe till he’s 45. Because right now it looks like he’s stronger than he’s ever been,” he added.
Salley concluded his remarks by saying that LeBron James’ game prompts a comparison with that of Magic Johnson, not Michael Jordan. Magic and LeBron both are point guards of the same size and they tend to impact the game in a similar manner.
Finally, Salley underlined the evolution of the game of basketball in the NBA and how that has helped modern players offensively. Bringing up a few changes in rules, like the abolition of hand-checking and the increased density of fouls, the former NBA star implied that the players playing now have a decided advantage over players from his era in all-time discussions.
