Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is undoubtedly one of the best players the NBA has ever seen. Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green even made a case for him as the greatest of all time over Michael Jordan, as many others have done.
In a recent episode of “Throwing Bones,” the outspoken Warriors star shared his belief that James deserves the title because of various factors, including longevity.
“I love M.J.,” Green said of Jordan. “I think M.J. is incredible. M.J. is M.J. We all wanted to be like Mike. I wear 23, come on now. We all want to be like Mike. But what LeBron has been able to do and how he can control the game and to do it this long — M.J. retired. This s—- grueling. Going to the Finals year after year after year, Bron went eight or nine straight years. M.J. took a break in right in the heat of that s—. Bron ain’t take no break.”
While Green made sure to express his love for Jordan, he apparently thinks that the Chicago Bulls icon’s brief retirement from 1993 to 1995 provides James with an advantage in discussions about who the better player is.
Of course, there are differing theories as to why Jordan stepped away from basketball in 1993 after winning three straight titles. He has gone on record to say that the murder of his father in July of that year was a big factor in his decision. However, some people believe there were other factors at play as well.
Whatever the reason behind it was, Jordan’s decision unfortunately put a stop to his string of consecutive championships. However, the legendary player did ultimately make a return to the court to help the Bulls put together another three-peat from 1996 to 1998.
For Green, it seems that Jordan’s pair of three-peats and 6-0 record in the Finals are not enough for him to be put ahead of James. He may believe that James’ feat of eight straight Finals appearances is more difficult to achieve.
One knock on James’ career is that he has a 4-6 record in his 10 total trips to the Finals. But if he were to win two more rings before retiring, he’d tie Jordan’s total title count and further strengthen his G.O.A.T. (greatest of all time) case.
It remains to be seen if the Lakers can contend for the trophy this season, as they are off to a lackluster start in the 2022-23 campaign. Fortunately, they have gained a bit of momentum lately by winning seven of their last 10 games.
