Dwyane Wade was recently asked about the controversial debate that everyone has been having since LeBron James donned the number 23 for the Cleveland Cavaliers back in 2003: Can LeBron ever pass Michael Jordan? Wade doesn’t think so.
“I don’t know if (James) has the ability to surpass (Jordan) or not. That’s yet to be seen. My version as LeBron being on par with Michael is this: They’re both on the golf course. Michael’s on the 18th hole. LeBron is somewhere on like the fourth hole. He’s got a long way to go, but he’s on par to get to the 18th hole.”
I’m not really sure about Wade’s assessment of the golf course. I mean LeBron is only 27 years old, but he has already played nine seasons in the NBA. At the most I could see him playing 10 more seasons before calling it quits, so he’s more like on the seventh or eighth hole.
But what is true is Wade’s assessment that LeBron will never surpass Jordan, mainly because he’s already made two NBA finals and failed to win them. Jordan was six for six. Not only does LeBron have to win five more titles, but to even be considered he has to win them without failing in the finals again.
At least then LeBron’s pundits can say he went six for six at some point in his career. For me, and all rational people, LeBron will never be as good as Jordan. Jordan’s refusal to be anything but the best, his killer instinct and his competitive drive put him as the very best player to ever play the game.
There was never any question who wanted to get the first opportunity at a last second shot. LeBron defers to Wade too often in crunch time. He finally was able to take charge and had a monster playoff run, but he has to do that on a consistent basis before even being in the conversation, let alone challenge Jordan for the GOAT.
“I think everyone knows that (James) is a phenomenal, phenomenal player. He’s one that we haven’t seen, with the makeup of a 6-8 guy who runs as fast as any point guard, jumps as high as any center, and has the ability that he has to do so many things. But Michael Jordan is the greatest player of all time, that’s who everyone shoots for. So it’s going to be hard to surpass that.”
I agree, and if you’re a rational thinker like me, you do too.
Jeff is an NFL Featured Columnist for www.RantSports.com. He contributes mainly to the New York Giants and NFL Rumors pages. He also will occasionally touch on the NBA and humorous videos involving all sports.
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