The debate over the greatest player of all time has been ongoing for years, with many former players and analysts picking Michael Jordan as their favorite. However, LeBron James’ impressive career has put him in the conversation, and now a former NBA All-Star has shared his opinion on the matter.
“What he’s doing, the longevity, it’s incredible, it really is,” Wally Szczerbiak said about James during a conversation on The Dan Patrick Show. “The longevity of LeBron… The fact that he’s still doing it at 40 years old is absolutely incredible.” The former small forward not only highlighted James’ long career in the league, with 22 seasons so far, but also the fact that he is still making a difference with the Los Angeles Lakers. “I think they’re a legitimate title contender this year. So it’s amazing,” Wally added.
However, Szczerbiak went on to explain his preference. “It’s just the tightness of Jordan’s career, making it to six Finals and winning all six of them,” he emphasized. “Obviously, he had great teammates and a great coach, but he dominated his era of basketball like nobody else did.” He concluded: “The fact that Michael Jordan did it in a small span of time and just dominated every Finals, I just don’t think there’s anything LeBron can do to surpass that, the 50,000 points plus, amazing accomplishment. I got him number two, right behind Michael Jordan.”
Szczerbiak knows what he’s talking about. Wally Szczerbiak speaks not only from the knowledge gained during his decade-long NBA career but also from the experience of having faced both Michael Jordan and LeBron James throughout his professional journey. The former NBA All-Star began his NBA career with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 1999, and he crossed paths with Michael Jordan during MJ’s final years with the Washington Wizards, from 2001 to 2003. That same year, LeBron James was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the draft, giving Szczerbiak the chance to compete against him numerous times.
And it doesn’t stop there. After leaving Minnesota in 2006, Wally went on to play for the Boston Celtics and Seattle SuperSonics, before being traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in February 2008. There, he spent his final NBA years as a teammate of LeBron, reaching the Eastern Conference Finals in 2009, where they lost to the Orlando Magic.
In a segment on ESPN's "First Take," former NBA big man Kendrick Perkins revealed the pettiness of former Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan. As he explained on the show, Michael once cut off his supply of free Jordans after Perkins hailed LeBron James as the NBA GOAT. "[Michael Jordan] is petty as hell too," Perkins said. "Now, if you go in my closet, it’s nothing but J’s. I keep J’s on my feet. I was signed to Jordan for about two years when I was playing. OK? I wore J’s throughout the course of a few years of my time in Oklahoma City. After that I used to get boxes in the mail all the time of the J’s before they even hit the stores. I started my media career. As soon as I said that LeBron James was the GOAT, those boxes stopped coming.”
While Perk never had a signature shoe deal, he did have a contract with Nike (Jordan) during his prime that allowed him to represent the brand on the court. After the contract expired, Michael used to send him complimentary boxes in the mail of the latest Jordans before they hit the market. Suddenly, they stopped coming one day, and Perkins believes he knows the reason why. According to the former NBA big man, it has to do with his stance on the GOAT debate, which he conceded to LeBron years ago.
As the NBA's most popular superstar legend, Michael Jordan was known for his ruthless competitive spirit that helped him win six NBA championships. From 1991 to 1998, Michael dominated the league and cemented his legacy as the greatest player ever. By the time he retired for the final time in 2003, Michael's resume was absolutely stacked as a 14-time All-Star, 10-time scoring leader, and five-time MVP. For his career, he averaged 30.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game on 49.7% shooting.
Michael has been retired for over 20 years now, but he hasn't lost his competitive spirit. Jordan will disown just about anyone who dares to question his legacy, including former colleagues like Perkins, who called LeBron James the GOAT instead. While MJ has not made any direct statements on the debate between him and LeBron, we already know where he stands. In Jordan's eyes, he'll always be the best, and his sheer dominance on the court has yet to be matched.
If there's any player who has challenged Jordan's status, it's LeBron James. As a four-time champion, four-time MVP, and the NBA's all-time leading scorer, James' feats are impressive, but not everyone agrees on how they compare to legends like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Kobe Bryant. Regardless of your take on the GOAT debate, Jordan will not stand for one of his own trying to diminish his legacy. He's only going to look after those who stay loyal to his brand and hold firm in his place at the top of the hierarchy.
Somehow, Jordan never lost his competitive edge, and his desire to be the best continues to rage on today. In many ways, Jordan is as petty as they come, and we've seen many examples of the lengths he'll go to protect his legacy. Unfortunately for Perkins, his declaration of LeBron as the GOAT has not earned him any favorability with the NBA superstar. In fact, Perkins admitted to having James blocked on his number after LeBron unfollowed him on social media.
“LeBron James needs to stop. He needs to stop," said Perkins on "First Take." "I’m so sick of him with this ‘Oh, how the league is covered’ because he wanted to be covered a certain way… LeBron unfollowed, so you know what I did? blocked him from my phone.” LeBron recently went off on the NBA media for not having a proper understanding of the game. He ripped ex-players like Charles Barkley and Kendrick Perkins for their constant negativity and their surface-level coverage of the game.
So if there's one thing that LeBron James and Michael Jordan have in common, it's that they are both on bad terms with Kendrick Perkins. The big man turned analyst has made a lot of enemies since becoming a major face of television.
