LeBron James or Michael Jordan: Who's Got the Bigger Shadow?

I am a staunch believer in doing WHATEVER it takes to win. I call that, the “Michael Jordan” approach. 

When the 2009-10 NBA season ended, there was a ton of hype around free agency. The world wasn’t sure if LBJ was going to decide with his heart and stay in his hometown of Cleveland, or listen to his head (which follows the MJ approach) and leave town for a team that gives him the best chance at winning long-term. 

For seven years now, LeBron James has been compared to Michael Jordan in every way possible, on and off the court. Many “experts” said LeBron would go to Miami and NOT the Bulls because he didn’t want to play in MJ’s shadow, and that MJ’s shadow is so big that anything short of winning six titles and being the BEST PLAYER EVER TO PLAY THE GAME would be considered a total failure. 

Fifty-six days have passed since LBJ’s decision to take his talents to South Beach, but the following question still looms in my mind.

Is Michael Jordan’s shadow greater than the shadow LeBron James created for himself by over-hyping his decision to join Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami?

Jordan’s shadow was never bigger than Jordan the player. Early on in his career, he torched box scores, made jaws drop and became the league’s top player and the face of the game, but was never able to take the Bulls to the top.

As time passed, he learned that in order to be the best, he must make those around him second-bests to his best. Jordan led the Bulls to two 3-peats, six titles in eight years. He consistently outplayed his shadow, meaning he ALWAYS demolished expectations. Jordan was willing to do whatever it took to ensure that his competition was left in the dust. 

Jordan could have left town for more lucrative offers, possibly even found a better roster of teammates, but never did—unless you consider the Birmingham Barons a more lucrative offer with better teammates. 

Michael Jordan didn’t see shadows because he was always rising above them. 

The hype behind “The Decision” created a shadow so large that it will be difficult for LeBron to play himself out of it. How many titles does he need to win in order to not be considered a failure? Four? Five? Eight? It seems like he’s already in the hole, playing from behind, and must win two titles just to break even. 

In the NBA, greatness is determined by how many championship rings you have, not how many people are in your entourage, or how many one-hour TV specials you have.

In LeBron’s mind, taking less money to join up with other stars was a profound idea (the MJ approach). By doing so, he’s saying that he not only wants to be the best player in history but also wants to have the best TEAM in history. 

Sad to say it, but all of that was lost in translation. All of his good intentions were blocked from sight by his ever growing shadow.

Have any thoughts on the matter? Please share!