The
NBA 2K franchise has took over the market as the king of basketball
video games with the absence of the NBA Live franchise. Now with new
systems such as the Xbox 1 and Playstation 4 coming out EA sports is
looking at the re launch of the game as a rebirth and it couldn't
come at a better time.
Since
NBA 2K11 as far as improving gameplay, 2K sports hasn't done its best
and the game has progressed at all so with the Live franchise back it
will provide some much needed competition and as we all know
competition breeds inovation. If NBA Live 14 has smoother ball
handling and passing controls then 2K then it will be a better game
in my eyes. Check out the Trailer featuring Kyrie Irving.
There
has been a lot made of what will happen next off season in the NBA
when Carmelo Anthony and most notably Lebron James go on the free
agent market. Lebron even coming off of back to back championships
with the Miami Heat can still opt out of his contract and become a
free agent. Destinations like New York and Cleveland are possible but
LA?? It doesn’t make sense for Lebron to go there but if its
possible then it just might happen. We all know Lebron has proven
himself to be diss loyal in the past so anything is possible.
Now
I am no believer of good or bad omens but NBA 2K is known as “The
most realistic basketball simulation on the market” and depending
on your perspective then 2K Sports is the bearer of good news or bad
news as it pertains to Lebron James (See Photo Below)
The NBA draft lottery is all about luck some teams have and some teams don't. The Cleveland Cavaliers franchise seems to have it they landed Lebron James with the #1 pick in 2003 and the same with Kyrie Irving in 2011. This year they won the lottery again for the 1st overall pick and will likely take Kentucky defensive standout Nerlens Noel to add to the young core players of the Cavs. With a franchise player in Irving and young guns like Dion Waiters, Alonzo Gee, Tristian Thompson and Tyler Zeller things seem to be moving in the right direction in Cleveland. Check out my video below speaking on the current direction the Cavaliers are heading in.
The 2013 NBA Draft is
set to take place in a matter of a month or so and it is chalk full of guys not
much older or mature then myself. Not only that but it may be one of the
weakest classes in years due to the fact that there is no clear consensus number
one pick. I don’t like to focus on the negative though that’s not we do here a
Tru School Sports but we will do is our Throwback Thursday and today the post
is on arguably one of the best if not the Best draft classes in league history
which features the Players from the 1996
NBA draft. That Draft changed the whole dynamic of the league for better or
worse bringing you some of the biggest names in basketball the last 25 years
with players such as Allen Iverson and Kobe Bryant.
Flash,Flare,Practice,
Championships and controversy are a few words to describe the two most
noticeable faces from the 1996 class-Allen Iverson and Kobe Bryant. The 2
players are arguably the best players in the history of 2 of the NBA’s most iconic franchises in the
Philadelphia 76ers and L.A Lakers.
Iverson and Bryant brought their own unique playing style and swagger to the
League on and off the court. Kobe had an afro and was cold blooded gained a
reputation as one of the leagues top clutch Performers. Iverson like his
counterpart did the same but at a greater magnitude for many Sixers teams that
lacked the talent the Lakers had.
In what is known among many People as the “Ankle Breaker” era of basketball (Early 2000’s)
Iverson and Bryant were the leagues two most popular players and had a clear
rivalry with each other. In 2000 the two franchise players met in the NBA
Finals. The series provided one of he most memorable moments from that era of
basketball when Allen Iverson crossed over Tyron Lue made him fall down , hit a
Jumper and stepped right over him like only A.I could do. The Sixers came out
swinging in game 1 beating the Lakers but in the end we were in the midst of what
was going to become a dynasty and A.I just didn't have the help.
These guys though as
great as they were still had controversy surrounding them. Allen Iverson Had
his infamous “Practice” Interview/rant. Kobe Bryant had his feud with Shaq
which ultimately ended the Laker Dynasty. Great Players who we love to talk
about, who also are some of the Highest
Jersey sellers ever came from that 1996 draft class with 1st and 13th
picks respectively.
Then there are the Guys
who are the Best we have ever seen at a particular facet of a game
In the 5th
in 15th picks of that Draft In Ray Allen and Steve Nash. Ray Allen
is statistically and historically the greatest three point shooters and one of the
greatest clutch shooters of all-time. Steve Nash for the better Part of His
career made Pick and Rolls look illegal and is one of the very few people to
win Back to Back MVP’s.
Ray Allen Has played on
some great teams over the years. Whether is was with Sam Cassell, Glen
Robinson, Rashard Lewis,Kevin Garnett or Lebron James he always found ways to
become and stay the most feared shooter in the game. Very few people in even in
today’s NBA can match the fitness level of Ray Allen even at 37 years old. It
is this reason that He is the NBA’s All-time best three point shooter.
Steve Nash is the perfect
example of how you make teammates better, If you look a numbers he averaged 11
assists four times in his career. If you Wan’t physical proof of how great Nash
Is as a facilitator just look at what Amare Stoudemire’s Contract and what he
hasn’t done without Nash, That speaks volumes to his greatness. The Phoenix
Suns teams of the Mid 2000’s of Nash, Shawn Marion and Amare was some of the
most exciting basketball I ever watched had they had some coaching on defense
Nash might have a ring on his finger But for a guy who was once considered to
slow in College and that he wouldn’t matchup well with athletes in NBA Not bad.
Then There are the guys
who are All-Stars that never won anything but were very exciting to watch in
their prime in 4th and 17th picks Jermaine O’Neal and
Stephon Marbury.
Jermaine O’neal was
once considered one of the best frontcourt players in his prime but for all the
talent he possessed he is a great example of someone flaming out early in their
career. Make no Mistake About it though when in his Prime Jermaine O’neal was a
monster for the Indiana Pacers and and All-Star Year in and year out.
Stephon Marbury was a
guy who was exciting to watch but at the end of the day wasn’t impacting
winning. He had plenty seasons averaging 20 points but never took a team deep
into the playoffs. Starbury was a tremendous talent anybody who gets traded for
Jason Kidd has to be.
The Number two pick in
1996 draft happened to be one of the better defensive players of this era and
that would be Marcus Camby. Although he was never turned into a star Camby has
had a long productive career and won Defensive player of the year in 2006-2007.
Wherever he has gone he has produced.
Sacramento just received
word that Kings are not Moving and I’m sure if you ask Kings fans about the
glory days of Webber/Bibby/Peja. They will all tell you about great it was to
watch the14th pick in the 96 draft play. He
played on the best teams in that franchises history and was one of the
deadliest shooters of his era and appeared in 3 All-Star Games for the Kings.
Other Players That
Appeared in this draft are guys such as Antoine Walker, Derek Fisher, Kerry
Kittles, Zydrunas Ilgauskas which are all guys who were Role Players on teams
that won or made it to the NBA finals.
So All in all the 1996
Draft Class will go down in the books as one of the most influential and
impacting drafts in NBA History but is it the best? In my opinion the answer is
yes but some people may disagree but it definitely helped the NBA in finding
stars for the league post Jordan era.
In
Today’s ever Evolving world of basketball kids are becoming much
more flamboyant, flashy and Athletic then ever. Media Outlets such as
And 1 Basketball,Hoopmixtape.com and Sportscenter’s top 10 plays
have always give kids motivation and incentive for exposure so in
turn it leaves little to no wiggle room for fundamentals.
“These
young bloods don’t practice fundamentals no more, to them its about
fancy dunks and the jibby jaby fade away jumpshots…its about
Buckets”. This quote was eloquently stated by fictional basketball
phenomenon Uncle Drew. He has a point it really doesn’t matter if
you break somebody’s ankles if you can’t hit a simple floater or
bank shot. Kids Growing up in my generation these days are more
unfundamentally sound then ever.
People
appreciate the grace and sometimes uncontrollable inefficiency that
Kobe Bryant plays with but don’t appreciate the Productivity and
Longevity of Tim Duncan because he doesn’t have the flare and
doesn’t fit the “showtime” description. It’s “boring
basketball” but what is boring about 2 MVP’s 4 Championships and
being regarded as the best to ever play the power forward position?
If that’s boring then the City of Charlotte could use a large dose
of boredom in it’s frontcourt.
“It’s
about Buckets” Uncle Drew keeps things in perspective and doesn’t
get lost in all the hype of today’s top media outlets or trends. It
is these Reasons that Uncle Drew should be coaching our nation’s
youth at every level from peewee, High School, AAU And College.
Picture the most undisciplined kids on your son or daughters
Basketball teams feeling the wisdom of an Uncle Drew, it would change
the landscape of youth basketball for the next few decades. Things
are getting to political in this new age of basketball and just the
world in general there aren’t many people that have a no nonsense
“Old School” mentality anymore, that’s a dying breed. Kids who
are playing ball these days are more worried about when the new Jordan’s
are coming out or where they can find the cheapest pair of Dr.Dre
headphones He stays focused on what’s really important and that is
getting Buckets…..By any means necessary
Uncle
Drew isn’t real he is a fictional character in a Pepsi Commercial
played by All-Star Cavaliers Point Guard Kyrie Irving but I’m sure
there plenty coaches out there that have some Uncle Drew in them so
Use that and help these kids learn how to really hoop it up!!
Michael Jordan is a name synonmus with greatness. During his era of play MJ Left an indelible mark on the game of basketball on all levels. Whether its hitting a game winning shot vs. Patrick Ewing and the Georgetown Hoyas to win the national championship or dropping a playoff record 63 points vs. Boston Celtics in the Boston record his airiness never seized too amaze us. While Mj’s accomplishments may be staggering he had no easy road to the NBA. Michaels hoop dreams began in North Carolina Emsley A. Laney high school where he was told he was to short to play basketball at the varsity level at (5,11). MJ Fueled by fire Jordan channeled his determination into becoming the leading scorer on the JV team accumulating several 40 point games. A season after proving his coach dead wrong Jordan grew over 4 inches over the summer and earned a spot on the varsity team as a sophomore. MJ would average 20 Points a game over the next 3 years in high school. He earned a spot in the prestigious McDonalds all-American game. All these accomplishments drew the attention of the legendary UNC Tar heels where Jordan earned a scholarship too play basketball in chapel hill. He left his mark winning ACC Freshman of the year honors and hitting the game winning shot in the 1982 national championship vs. Georgetown Hoyas. In the 1984 NBA Draft the Chicago Bulls made Jordan’s hoop dreams a reality, little did they now how lucky they had just gotten.
Another guy who took a completely different route to the NBA and became one of the premier talents and cultural figures in the game today is Lebron James. This is a guy who athletically is a freak of nature. When in middle school Lebron was able too dominate the competition he was a man amongst boys being able too dunk while in middle school. When King James got too St.Vincent-St.Marys he dominated basketball at the high school level. He was the 1st sophomore to be named “Mr. Basketball” in the state of Ohio. He would accomplish “Mr. Basketball” honors 3 times in his high school career while also leading the Irish to 3 state championships. They would have to get St.Mary to play in larger venues such as the Cleveland convocation center playing in front of crowds all because they wanted too see the teenage basketball phenom Lebron James. The high school games he played like the ones vs. power house Oak Hill were televised nationally by Espn. He had all the hype coming into the league and a Nike endorsement to back it up. He would skip college and declare for the 2003 NBA Draft at 19 years of age. He would be selected 1st overall by his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers. LBJ Automatically reached cult like status when they put up a billboard with James doing his powder ritual on the Sherwin Williams headquarters building with a black and white Nike Sign that read “ We are all Witness” . Lebron James was the city of Cleveland’s crown jewel and he was the heart and soul of Cavalier basketball.
Now although MJ and Lebron took different paths too the league they have both financially and culturally impacted the game more then any players in the history of the game. In the 1983-84 season the Chicago Bulls only averaged 6,365 fans. In the 1984 NBA draft they would select Jordan 3rd overall out of UNC. His leaping ability and explosiveness to the rim electrified the city of Chicago. Attendance had steadily increased in Chicago and by the 1987-1988 season the bulls averaged a then franchise high 18,061 fans per game. Jordan wasn’t only selling out in the windy city everybody wanted a chance too see Jordan in action. Pat Williams a marketing guru and author of “How to be like Jordan” life lessons about basketball once said a San Francisco businessman purchased Golden State Warriors Season tickets just so he could see MJ play once a year in person. When Mike stopped playing he gave up the season tickets. The Bulls recorded 610 consecutive sellouts at home over a 13 year period (11/20/87-11/7/00). MJ Transcended ticket sales he created a whole new market and spawned a whole new generation when in 1984 he and Nike teamed up to release Jordan’s 1st signature basketball shoes the Air Jordan 1’s. Nike Air Jordan was really the 1st massive player designed shoe to come out. Jordan paved the way for players like Charles Barkley, Larry Johnson, Shawn Kemp to have their own signature shoes. The Jordan brand took off in now in 2012 Jordan brand apparel brings in 1 Billion dollars in revenue per year. In tapping into an untapped market and creating his own lane and one for Lebron James in the future Michael Jordan changed the game from a business perspective
Now while MJ culturally and financially impacted basketball like no other player has Lebron James has made an impact and a name for himself globally as well. Lebron has a laundry list of endorsements such as Nike, Mcdonalds, Bubblicious,. LBJ also has had a song made for his “More then a game” documentary titled “Forever” which featured rap heavyweights Drake,Lil Wayne, Kanye West and Eminem. The song was a hit selling over 3,000,000 copies and reaching as high as #2 on the billboard charts. Lebron was making an impact on the court, TV and now radio. He is more then a marketing tool he is a ratings difference maker. The 2011 NBA Finals was the most viewed since 2000. Also the 2011 NBA Eastern conference finals game 7 generated a 9.1 rating the highest for any NBA game televised on cable. So LBJ had an impact on NBA business in his own right.
Jordan is noted for winning 6 championships and never losing in the finals but many people forget his failures. As great as Jordan proved to be in the playoffs he and Scottie Pippen could never get passed Isaiah Thomas, Dennis Rodman and the Chuck Daly coached Detroit Pistons. In a regular season game on national television Jordan had an offensive explosion going for 59 points at the Palace leadings the Bulls to 112-110 victory. After that and another 61 point outburst Chuck Daly drew frustrated with Jordan’s scoring binges and created the “Jordan Rules” which forced him into operating from uncomfortable spots forcing him to dribble left which is his weaker side. They would use spacing in man to man sets to triple team MJ when he would attempt to penetrate the middle of the floor. This smothering defense applied by the likes of Joe Dumars, Bill Lambeer, and Dennis Rodman forced MJ to either take shots, take hard borderline flagrant fouls or pass the ball and force someone else to beat them. In applying the Jordan Rules Detroit could successfully protect the paint and this strategically tactic proved to be valuable as the Pistons would defeat the Bulls 3 straight years in the playoffs. Jordan was scrutinized people said he didn’t have what it takes to beat the Pistons in a 7 game series. At one point people questioned if Michael would ever win a championship and he was labled as a choke artist.
Michael Jordan's most trying times would come in the form of the Detroit Pistons. for three years the "Bad Boys" had sent the young upstart Bulls home in frustration to the dismay of Michael Jordan. From 1988-90 the Pistons defeated Chicago. Although the Bulls had inched just a bit closer every year towrds beating them it just wasn't enough. Then the 1991 Easten Conference finals came along and no longer were the Bulls going to be bullied by the Pistons in fact The Bulls had swept the Detroit and MJ finally had the Monkey off his back. He played a great series averaging 28 points per game along with 5 rebounds 2 steals 7 assists on 52% shooting from the field. Chicago would go on to face Magic and the Lakers but it didn't real matter Michael and this Bulls team now had supreme and unshakable confidnece and would make quick work of L.A in 5 games to Capture the 1st tittle in Chicago Bulls history. This would be the start of what would become one of the Greatest dynasty's of all-time with MJ leading the way.
Nothing says Chicago Bulls basketball like this dynamic duo. Whether you loved or hated the Bulls you knew about the classic combo of Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan. They were the foundation for a dynasty you had 2 of the most dynamic defenders in the league at the time on one team. When they finally got over the hurdle that was the Detroit Pistons it gave them unshakeable confidence and they would remain the team to beat for years to come. With Role playes such as John Paxson, Steve Kerr, B.j Armstrong, Horce Grant, Bill Cartwright, Luc longley etc over the years it wouldn't really matter who the the role players were MJ was going to put them in a postion to succeed. If he said "we are not losing tonight" then that meant at the end of 4 quarters and sometimes sudden death that the Bulls more times then would get the win. In the 1987 season the Bulls Drafted Scottie Pippen and finally they had a dynamic duo that could lead an elite team and grow together. The struggles against the Pistons allowed Pippen and Jordan to grow up through adversity and when they finally climbed that hurdle in 1991 it would begin an unfoegttable era in NBA history. The Bulls were the NBA's marquee team in the 90's because of these 2 extaoridnary players it allowed the bulls to compete in the East and win 6 championshps. Arena's across the nation from Miami to Seattle were selling out to see MJ, Pippen and the Bulls come to town. I could sit here all day and tell you all day on how great Pippen and Jordan were together but i'll let the numbers do the talking for me. Here are the combined numbers for MJ and Pip.
21 All-star Selections
4 All- Star Game MVP's
51,232 Points
14,166 Rebounds
19 All NBA Defensive teams
4 time league leaders in steals
69 win season (1996-97)
6 championships (90-93) (95-98)
Ever since the day Lebron made the decsion this duo has been compared to Pippen and Jordan which i think makes sense but is stupid because i think that Wade and Lebron are better then the other duo. As good as Scottie was we all knew Michael was better but when you talk about Wade and Lebron it's different. Scottie was an All-star but he was never a threat for best player in the league you can make the argument through many times in Wade's career that he was better then Lebron, that was never a question with Pippen because Michael was always better. So based on talent Wade and Lebron are better because of the versatility of LBJ and Wade's ability to close out games,they just impact the gameplan for opposing coaches in ways Pip and MJ never did. With all that said will The Miami Heat today become a dynasty like the Chicago Bulls in the 90's? They took it all last season vs. OKC LBJ is stil 5 rings away from Jordan and Wade is 4. This years Heat team has as much talent if not more then thoe 90's Bulls teams. You look at the talent outside of Lebron and Wade and you got guys like Norris Cole, Mario Chalmers,Chris Bosh and then you add guys like Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis it just makes the best team in the league that much better. If this team is healthy for the most part i could see Wade and Lebron touching 6 rings or more. Here are the combined numbers for both of these 2 future hall of famers.
34,035 points
7,963 rebounds
3 All-star game MVP's
7 All NBA defensive teams
2 scoring tittles
2 Finals MVP's (Wade-2006 James-2012)
3 Championships (Wade-2006,2012 James(2012)
16 All-Star selections
Lebron James who wore #23 in Cleveland and was a Jordan fan himself has received more criticism then anybody in NBA history. This being for 2 reasons only
1. Lebron’s inability to closeout in the 4th quarter and perceived lack of mental toughness
2. July 9th 2010 Lebron sent shockwaves through the basketball world where he announced on ESPN to the world he would “Take his talents to south beach” and sign with the Miami Heat.
Cleveland was heart broken and moments later were seen burning is Cavaliers Jerseys, T-Shirts and anything else that had to do with him. It was kind of like that seen in the movie Bruce Almighty where the whole city is on fire and people are in a frenzy. After a Celebration at the American Airlines where Lebron announced that the Miami Heat would win “Not one, Not two, Three, Not four, Not five, Not six, Not seven championships” . whether he was joking or not he had proclaimed the Heat a Dynasty before the roster was even filled out or before they played a single game. This made Lebron and his new team public enemy #1 in every opposing arena in the NBA. When he made his return to Cleveland for his 1st game with the Cavaliers though the hostility was raised to another level. When he came back he was met by what many call the most hostile environment EVER for a regular season game in NBA history. Seemingly the whole city of Cleveland wanted to let James forget how they felt. You can tell they had spent lots of time in perpetration for this day conjuring up signs like “Lechoke” “Quitness” and my personal favorite “The lying king”. All the hostility in the world couldn’t have stopped LBJ that night. He silenced the whole Quicken Loans Arena crowd dropping 38 points en rout to a dominating victory for himself and his teammates . The Heat would enter the 2011 NBA playoffs as the 2nd seed in the eastern conference. They made quick work of the 76ers, Celtics and Bulls all in 5 game series. Lebron made winning plays and big time shots throughout those 3 rounds and was playing some of the best basketball of his career. When the Heat took on the Dallas Mavericks in the 2011 NBA Finals Lebron was trying to get a 8 year monkey off his back. The monkey wasn’t going anywhere Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks would defeat the Miami Heat in 6 games and win the 2011 NBA Finals
Criticism on Lebron grew to new found heights after the loss. I’m sure the loss ate him up inside and in the offseason he spent countless hours working on his post game with 2 time Champion and hall of famer Hakeem Olajuwon . Implementing this into his game made him more lethal then he already was.
When the 66 game condensed season started Lebron James was a model of consistency and picked up his 3rd MVP Award. He averaged 27 points per game with 7 rebounds 6 assists on 53% shooting. When the Heat came into the 2012 NBA Playoffs Lebron once again had something to prove and you could see it on his face. The 1st round featured little drama with the Heat defeating the Knicks in 5 Games. The 2nd round presented much more of a challenge vs. the Danny Granger, Roy Hibbert and the upstart Indiana Pacers. The Heat would win Game 1 but in the process would lose key player Chris Bosh for the whole series to a groin injury. 2 losses to the Pacers which included a 94-75 Blowout had critics once again talking and Lebron and the Heat with their backs against the walls. May 20th 2012 would be one of the defining moments in Lebron’s postseason run in 2012. Coming in down 2-1 vs. the Pacers at the Conseco Field house Lebron had arguably one of his best game ever. Big time Players make Big time plays in Big games and LBJ had a historic performance dropping 40 points 18 rebounds with 9 assists on 51% shooting leading the Miami Heat to a game 5 road win to tie the series up 2-2. The Heat would win the next 2 games by double digits and go on to face the rival Boston Celtics.
The series began with the Miami Heat protecting home court winning game 1 and 2. When the series got back to Boston Rajon Rondo and company changed the whole momentum of the series. The Heat lost both games to the Celtics in Boston including a nail bitter in game 4 91-93. When the series shifted to Miami for game 5 The Heat would lose 94-90 behind the performances of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Mikael Pietrus. So the stage was set game 6 at the TD Garden Celtics up 3-2 with a chance to clinch a trip to the NBA Finals with the weight of the world on Lebron’s shoulders. Many people (Including Myself) thought this was just going to be another scenario for Lebron to choke in and that the series was over…But the king had other plans. In an arena that has never treated him well vs. a team that has derailed his title hopes many times Lebron rose up in the face of adversity. Playing with a possessed look the whole game he had one of the greatest pressure performances in NBA history. 45 Points 15 Rebounds and 5 Assists on 73% shooting. That’s ridiculous to put up those type of numbers with that kind of pressure on you. It wasn’t like he was just living in the paint either he was making an array of shots. Jab step jumpers, to fade away bank shots, floaters in traffic, pull up 3’s emphatic dunks. The only thing he didn’t do that night was sell peanuts. For a guy who’s been labeled a choke artist his whole career this was the turning point and leading Miami to a 98-79 victory was monumental in that series. The series would end in a double digit victory in Game 7 and the Heat would move onto the 2012 NBA Finals too take on Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook an the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Heat had battled and overcame more adversity then any other team to get to this point where they lost last year. The question was still asked Lebron finish the job? After a game 1 loss 105-94 those questioned grew even greater. But the next 4 games Lebron was the best player on the floor. He lead the Heat to 4 victories and captured the 2nd Championship in franchise history. More importantly for him the monkey was off his back and he was a champion. From game 2 to 5 James averages looked like this
29 Points per game 11 Rebounds 8 assists 47 FG %
Including a triple double in game 7
(26 points 11 rebounds 13 assists)
He was named MVP and presented the trophy by NBA Legend Bill Russell when asked about how he felt when the clock hit 0:00 in game 7 and he knew he was a champion he Immediately responded saying “IT’S ABOUT DAMN TIME”. He raised the trophy high and proud and the 1st championship of Lebron’s career was captured in his 9th season.
The work didn’t stop with just a finals ring and MVP, the Olympics were right around the corner and Lebron was trying to accomplish something only Michael Jordan had accomplished. He won the Regular Season MVP, an NBA Finals, Finals MVP and a Gold Medal all in the same season since 1992. He is on top of the basketball world but still has a long way to to catch Jordan according to Dwayne Wade saying the sky’s the limit.
Before the Lebron even captured his 1st title many NBA Legends and executives had some choice words for the king both positive and negative. In an ESPN Interview Hall of Famer and Milwaukee Bucks great Oscar Robertson gave Lebron high praise. When asked if he is better then Michael Jordan he said “Lebron is in a class by himself” . WOW!!! Those are some bold words coming from a guy who was once and still is regarded by many to be the greatest basketball player of all-time. Jerry West “The Logo” and Laker great says “I don’t know if I ever seen a better athlete play this game, He is a great teammate, I think he has a chance to go down as the greatest player to ever play this game”. 2 of the best players this game has ever seen acknowledged the fact that Lebron has all the talent in the world to be better then Michael Jordan. Charles Barkley though had some negative comments about Lebron after taking his “Talents” to South Beach. Barkley said “He’ll never be as great as Jordan this clearly takes him out the conversation, he can win as much as he wants to”. Barkley recently just said that he thinks Lebroncould be better then Jordan in a recent episode of NBA TV's "open court" saying that"I do think he can be better than Michael"I thought I would never compare somebody to Michael Jordan. But this guy, LeBron James, he does everything well. Michael did everything well. LeBron James is just bigger, stronger, faster. That's the only difference." Whether you agree with the “Big O” and Jerry West or Barkley or not there is no denying his talent and ability to challenge Jordan for the top spot.
At the end of this season was the end of Lebron’s 9th season in the NBA where he captured his 1st NBA Championship at 27 years of age. Michael Jordan Did not get his 1st ring until he was 27 years old but in the 1st 9 years here is how both of these elite’s stack up vs. each other
Michael Jordan Lebron James
32 Points per game 28 Points per game
6 Assists 7 Assists
6 Rebounds 7 Rebounds
3 Steals 2 Steals
1 block 1 Block
50 FG % 48 FG %
As you can see through his 1st 9 seasons in the league his airness Michael Jordan had better numbers then Lebron even the injury in the 1985-86 season, Most people don't average that in but i did for the sake of this ongoing debate to prove what i believe to be true that Michael Jordan is better then Lebron. Lebron is a great player no doubt about it but if people are comparing him and MJ Fairly at this moment comparing first 9 seasons between the two you can clearly see that MJ Through his first 9 years of basketball is slightly better then Lebron James. People always say that "LBJ is a much better passer then MJ" the stats say he is only 1 assist better through his first 9 years. Although the stats say they are even because Jordan had 3 Championships to Lebron's one coming this year the edge goes to MJ. Lebron is still fairly young at 27 years old so he is gonna have time to catch MJ but for now you can't say that Lebron is better you can only do what many legends have said by saying that Lebron can be just as good if not better then Jordan.
There are many ways to dissect who is better or who you think is better but we won’t know entirely who is better until Lebron is done playing basketball. In my opinion I think Lebron will fall just short of Jordan because MJ was just to Dominant To the point where he couldn't even play 1 on 5 against the other team being the reason for the illegal offense rule.He never lost in the finals. He won Back to back to back championships twice and could have had 8 if he didn’t retire. As great as LBJ Is I just think the way MJ played is going to make it hard for Lebron to really be accepted as the best ever because he broke a mold and sent many trends and was a game changer but I’ll tell you one thing if there is anybody who will give him a run for his money its Lebron. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m the furthest thing from a Lebron fan and could tell you that i hated the man so for me to even say that is big. I do know one thing though and that it’s going to be great to watch him chase after MJ’s greatness. I always said that Michael Jordan was the most talented player in the game combined the highest level of fitness, You can pretty much say the same for Lebron.So who's better? I'll leave that up to you hope this helps.
"Ever since i was a kid, i was always the winner"-Lebron James
"I'm not out there sweating for three hours everyday just to find out what it feels like to sweat"-Michael Jordan
"Ask me to play,I'll play Ask me to shoot,I'll shoot Ask me to pass,i'll pass Ask me to steal,block out,sacrifice,lead,dominate ANYTHING"-Lebron James
"If you look up the definition of greatness in the dictionary, it will say Michael Jordan"-Elgin Baylor
"Don't be afraid of failure,this is the way to succeed"-Lebron James
"I've missed more then 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over again in my life and that's why i succeed"-Michael Jordan
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