In a long interview, Ray Allen often talkative in front of the microphones since his retirement, spoke a lot about his former teammate LeBron James. Ray Ray says he is not at all surprised to see him at this exceptional level at 36 years old, all because from the beginning of his career, the King knew how to take care of his body.
In any sport, if you don’t take care of your body in the first half of your career, you’re done. Your first half of your career will affect everything else in your career. LeBron, in the first half of his career stretched, pushed iron, ate well, and employed people to surround him in all of these aspects. If you don’t take care of your body, you can’t really last, and you won’t make that much money. Spending money to surround yourself is totally necessary to perform at a high level for a long time. » Ray Allen
Allen is well placed to talk about these aspects, he who all his career has been in impeccable shape. He also explains that he introduced LeBron to pedicures because he thought it was important in the career of basketball players, and this despite the mockery of some of his teammates. Today, the King seems to be an adept of all these methods and could claim to dethrone Michael Jordan of the status of GOAT (What is already done according to some, and is too late for others). When asked about this, Ray Allen explains that the career and impact of the two players are not comparable.
I never thought there was any kind of race between the two. Michael Jordan put this league on the map and made it grow. He had a huge impact on the NBA and other sports leagues, not just in this country but around the world. He made it popular for athletes to be sponsored by big brands and become their image. That didn’t exist before Michael Jordan. But in the game, Michael played differently than LeBron, in a different era. Comparing stats is never objective because today the game is very different than it was in the 90s. » Ray Allen
We understand, between the lines, what Ray Allen means, and if it must be stated more clearly, he does not hesitate: for him Michael Jordan is and will remain the GOAT.
In my opinion MJ is the GOAT. LeBron is a product of MJ so a lot of what LeBron has in his DNA comes from Jordan. The people who say today that LeBron is the GOAT probably grew up in the recent era. They believe what they want based on how they feel and what it means to them. That’s fine with me. But MJ really weighed in on the game. He had a stranglehold on the league and caused fear in everyone given how no one could stop him. » Ray Allen
Whether it comes from the journalists or the players themselves, this endless debate seems to have a few more years to go. To know what the 6th man thought about it a few months ago, we recommend this video.
