J.R. Smith on Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James: ‘Can’t Compare a Lion and a Tiger’

By Jonathan Sherman
Updated: June 2, 2020

Over the course of his career, Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has been compared to Michael Jordan countless times.

James’ former teammate, J.R. Smith, was asked to weigh in on the debate recently on the “Pat McAfee Show.”

“You can’t compare a lion and a tiger,” said Smith. “They’re both cats but they’re not the same. You gotta understand, the lion is the king of the jungle. Everybody bows down to the lion. That don’t stop the tiger from [saying]: ‘Listen motherf—–, I’m a bad motherf—– too.”

Fans who are well informed know that there are major differences in the style of play between James and Jordan.

While the former can score with the best of them, he’s a facilitator and a distributor at his core. Jordan, on the other hand, was a scorer and a finisher first and foremost. He remains arguably the best the league has ever seen in both categories.

Some have opined that a better comparison for James is Magic Johnson, who is widely considered to be the greatest point guard ever.

Like James, Johnson was 6-foot-9 star and could score in bunches when needed, but mostly looked to push the pace and get his teammates involved by getting them easy baskets.

Since coming to the Lakers last season, James has been playing a lot like Johnson did during L.A.’s “Showtime” era in the 1980s.

The Akron, Ohio native is currently leading the league in assists with an average of 10.6 per game. He has also made the Lakers arguably the best fast-break team in the NBA.