In a show dedicated to him for his 50th birthday, Michael Jordan had preferred Kobe Bryant to LeBron James in 2013. Inevitably, the latter had been called to react to this choice afterwards, and had kindly displayed his vexation.
The former NBA glories are often forced to give their opinion on the younger generations, and their main representatives. In 2013, it was Michael Jordan who had lent himself to the exercise, and had to designate the best player between Kobe Bryant and LeBron James for Ahmad Rashad.
After much thought, and having mentioned the achievements of both players, His Airness finally chose the Mamba. His decisive argument was the number of rings held by each player, which allowed Kobe to lead 5 to 1. This statement, which MJ made a few days before the All-Star Game, has obviously not escaped the King.
Questioned during the event on this subject, the latter had calmly tried to prove that Jordan’s demonstration did not hold up.
(2013) LeBron responds to Michael Jordan’s comments saying he would take Kobe over LeBron https://t.co/k3P4pfLmk0
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) May 27, 2020
Yes I heard, I heard. I don’t really have a reaction to that. He said he would pick Kobe over me because five rings is better than one. That’s his opinion. At the end of the day, the number of rings alone does not define a player’s career.
If that were the case, then I would tell you that I would take (Bill) Russell over Jordan. But I wouldn’t say that. I wouldn’t take Russell over Jordan, when Russell has 11 rings, and Jordan has 6. Or I would tell you that I would take Robert Horry over Kobe. I wouldn’t do that! That’s his opinion, but rings do not define a player’s career.
I was talking about this last night: take Jud Buechler who has multiple rings, while Charles Barkley has none. He’s not better than Charles Barkley. Patrick Ewing is one of the best players in history. Reggie Miller is one of the best players in history. Sometimes it just depends on your situation, your team, timing too.
For someone who « didn’t really have a reaction » to his idol’s comments, LBJ was quite vocal. Certainly offended by the choice of the Bulls legend, he did not hesitate to dismantle his argument. All this, before concluding by recalling that the opinion of observers and former players … did not reach him.
I don’t let what people say and judge define who I am and why I play. It doesn’t matter to me. I play for my family, for my teammates, for the coaching staff, and for the fans. That’s it.
