It's been a hot topic for a decade now, in barbershops and on basketball courts all across the country: Michael Jordan or LeBron James?
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The two greatest players of their respective eras have long been pitted against each other in a fundamentally impossible argument. It might be reductive to say that only Jordan and James stand alone among the NBA's all-time greats, as surely Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Russell deserve a seat at the table.
Former three-time champion Los Angeles Lakers point guard Brian Shaw played against Jordan and subsequently coached against James. That makes him uniquely qualified to weigh in. And he, too, has insights into why it's an ultimately a fool's errand to make a pick.
Why LeBron James doesn't compare to Michael Jordan
During a conversation with longtime NBA insider Brandon "Scoop B" Robinson, Shaw rejected the notion that one can properly compare the six-time champion Chicago Bulls shooting guard with the four-time champion Los Angeles Lakers forward.
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“LeBron physically just as a specimen, I don’t think there’s anybody in the league who has the body that he has and been able to maintain it the way he did,” Shaw said.
As soon as he recovers from a lingering sciatica issue on his right side, James will embark on his record-extending 23rd season in the league. The 40-year-old has managed to take pristine care of his body — although, as Shaw observes, the league has been a bit more hands-off defensively than it was during Jordan's heyday.
“The game is different now. It’s predicated on 3-point shooting,” Shaw explained. “It was a lot more physical. When Jordan played, he had to go through the Pistons and the Knicks who were very physical; so it was just two different times.”
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