Who's the better all-time NBA superstar, five-time MVP former Chicago Bulls shooting guard Michael Jordan and four-time MVP Los Angeles Lakers power forward LeBron James?
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It's a debate that has befuddled many a basketball fan and pundit.
But how does one of Jordan's best dynasty-era Bulls teammates feel about the whole conversation?
Toni Kukoc talks Jordan vs. James
Per longtime NBA insider Brandon "Scoop B" Robinson, Hall of Fame former Chicago forward Toni Kukoc has weighed in on the differences between his fellow former Bulls champ and James.
Toni Kukoc settles the GOAT debate, but not how you think. 🤯 He explains why LeBron and MJ cannot be compared, but calls Michael Jordan the GOAT of basketball alongside Tiger Woods & Messi.
— 👑 Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson (@ScoopB) September 27, 2025
🔗You won't look at the comparison the same way after reading this ➡️… pic.twitter.com/qcdipcLBm8
Kukoc played alongside Jordan from 1995-98, winning three consecutive titles from 1996-98. The 6-foot-11 stretch four earned Sixth Man of the Year honors during the Bulls' then-record 72-10 season in 1995-96, when Jordan was named league MVP, Jordan and Scottie Pippen made All-Star and All-NBA First Team squads, and Jordan, Pippen and Dennis Rodman were each named to the All-Defensive First Team.
“It’s hard to compare players that never played in the same era; that never played against each other,” Kukoc said. “If they had some kind of record—either the playing that their teams respectfully playing against each other or their records individually head-to-head, then you can say this one had more wins than the other, but not such a case [like this].”
Kukoc observes that James' emergence may owe a bit of a debt to Jordan's greatness — after all, the four-time league champ grew up researching Jordan's game.
“Obviously like everything else in the game of basketball is evolving. It’s getting better,” Kukoc noted. “These days you can see all the older previous players and you can get all their moves. You can practice those moves, you can get better… the knowledge of what to eat and how to prepare yourself, how to get rid of your injuries faster, how to keep your body in shape… all these little things – which appear to be little things, but they’re not – can make you a better player.”
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To hear Kukoc tell it, both Jordan and James were the definitive players in their respective eras.
“When it comes to pure – like okay, Michael from the '80’s and '90’s or LeBron from 2000 or 2010’s you can’t say one was better than the other,” Kukoc said.
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