Why LeBron James will never surpass Michael Jordan
By Ryan Heckman
A different era and different mentality separates the two
LeBron is one of the biggest reasons why people are watching the NBA less and less these days. Look, I’m not going to give you numbers on viewership. What I will say is this: LeBron has made it popular to do two things in the NBA in the 21st century.
What are those two things?
- Flop, whine and complain
- Play “Create-a-Team”
Let’s start in reverse order. First of all, I am aware that the Boston Celtics were the first true “Big Three” type of team to create a championship roster out of adding star players. I’m not ignorant. But, LeBron just made it popular.
Did ESPN have something to do with “The Decision?” Of course they did. But, LeBron was in on it as well. He made it “cool” to switch teams and create his own dream team of sorts.
Beyond that, how many times does LeBron have to undermine his coaches and front office by demanding that he should have better players and more playmakers on his team? He has done this on multiple occasions — and in midseason I might add. Just look at the aftermath of the Kyrie Irving trade. It’s not a good look for LeBron.
Jordan never tried to influence his upper management to make moves midseason by reportedly saying he “needed more playmakers.” Just take a look at this quote from James last winter, via ESPN.
"“The f—ing grind of the regular season. We’re a top-heavy team. We have a top-heavy team. We top-heavy as s—. It’s me, [Kyrie Irving], [Kevin Love]. It’s top-heavy.”"
Find me a quote where Jordan calls his team “top-heavy” and appears to whine and complain. I’ll wait.
Speaking of whining and complaining, let’s move on to the first point from above. Everyone complains in the NBA now. Everyone seems to have their version of a “flop.” But, LeBron seems to do it more often than anybody. Why?
Because he’s LeBron. He’s a diva. He thinks he should get every call, every time.
If he doesn’t get a call, he’ll throw his arms up with a fake look of confusion — typically while looking straight at a referee.
LeBron is one of the biggest whiners I have ever seen in any professional sport. If you want to debate that, there is plenty of video evidence to back it up — so, don’t even try.
Did Jordan complain? Sure, sometimes. Did he do it constantly, every single game? Absolutely not. More often than not, if Jordan didn’t get a call, he’d come right back down on the next possession and make the opposition pay.