Perhaps the most popular debate in all of sports today is the ongoing battle between LeBron James and Michael Jordan for the greatest player of all time.
No matter what is going on in the sports world or outside of it, this lively debate can always be brought up.
There are a number of valid arguments in favor of each player as James has passed Jordan on a number of lists, including the all-time scoring list. However, Jordan’s six championships are hard to compete with. And it seems as though every major NBA figure has been asked to give their opinion on the subject.
The most recent of these is Bill Laimbeer. Laimbeer faced off against Jordan a number of times in his career, but had to side with James when asked to choose, according to ESPN’s First Take:
"I firmly believe that [LeBron James] is the best basketball player in the history of the game."
Former "Bad Boy" Piston, and Michael Jordan opponent, Bill Laimbeer. pic.twitter.com/9aTQgnW3n4
— First Take (@FirstTake) April 14, 2020
Laimbeer cites James’ playmaking ability as one of the major reasons for being superior to Jordan. James — who is the Los Angeles Lakers primary point guard — has always been an elite passer on top of his ability to score at will. It’s part of what makes his game so dangerous for nearly two decades.
Laimbeer also discusses how James’ game would easily transition to other eras. There’s obviously no way to prove this and even if there were, it’s likely Jordan would also be immensely successful in other eras. But regardless, it is possible that James in the 1980s or 90s would be a lot like Magic Johnson, but even more powerful.
It is interesting that someone who opposed Jordan many times would say that James is the greatest player of all time. However, the same thing can be said of Kawhi Leonard choosing Jordan over James.
When it comes to the James-Jordan debate, it’s likely there will never be a right answer — or at least an answer that is commonly agreed upon.
Perhaps it’s best to say these are two of the greatest players of all time and simply leave it at that.