Michael Jordan: The Greatest NBA Player of All Time, Too Bad For Lebron James

While watching one of ESPN’s recent 30 for 30's, “Jordan Rides the Bus”, I was reminded of how great Michael Jordan actually was. I personally enjoy watching the 30 for 30 series and this episode did not disappoint me. Jordan has a competitive drive inside him that only a handful of men can truly understand. I consider myself overly competitive, but I’ll be the first to admit that I cannot even comprehend what lies inside of Jordan. After watching this episode, which was centered on Jordan’s quest to become a professional baseball player, I couldn’t help but think about what could have been if he hadn’t taken nearly two years away from the NBA. I also realized that the same thing that made Jordan great is what makes LeBron James not so great.

[This article was originally written for this website. Click Here.]

First off, this episode of 30 for 30 brought a thought to my mind that I had never considered before. If Jordan hadn’t taken nearly two years off, would the Bulls have won eight consecutive NBA titles? What if he also hadn’t retired for a second time in 1998, could he have won ten in a row? I think a case can be made for both. For a player to win three straight championships, take two years off, come back and win three more in a row is absurd. When Jordan decided to step away from the court to play baseball, he took it very seriously. Jordan worked just as hard perfecting his baseball swing as he had previously worked on his jump-shot. He did not have time to seriously work on his basketball game during that period of time. His first full year back with the Bulls was the first of their second three-peat. For the most part, the team remained the same minus Jordan for the two years he was gone. I just can’t convince myself that the Hakeem Olajuwon led Houston Rockets would have knocked the Bulls off in 1994 and 1995 if Jordan had not left.

If Jordan would have been working on his basketball game instead of taking the hiatus to pursue a baseball career, there would be no controversy at all; Jordan would go down as the best basketball player of all time. Personally, I still think he is, but I know it is debatable. You can’t discount what another two solid years of working long hours in the gym each day would have done. It’s actually scary to think about.

There has yet to be another player come along that has the drive and competitive personality that Jordan possessed. I honestly don’t think there was one before him. The man is wired in a way that has never been seen in any sport. I think Tiger Woods is the only other athlete in all of sports that can be compared to Jordan in this area, but even he doesn’t match up. Kobe Bryant is the only person that has come close in basketball, but Kobe can’t single handily control a game the way Jordan could. The what ifs have now filled my mind and it’s hard to come to grips with the fact that we’ll never know. It’s definitely one of the top two what if’s of my time along with Barry Sanders.

The second thing that this show revealed to me has to do with LeBron James. Jordan said, “Maybe I made you believe that my game was built on flash, not fire.” I think Jordan is mistaken. I don’t know one person that believes his game was built on flash and not fire. Jordan had the fire and the media developed the flash around him. It’s no secret that Jordan changed the way media and sports interact and it wouldn’t be the way it is today without him, but it wasn’t because his game was built on flash. His fire is what drew the media in.

LeBron James is the exact opposite. After this whole Miami spectacle, it is obvious to me that James’ game is built on flash. Don’t get me wrong, he has a fire inside him, but his flame would be like a candle next to a bonfire compared to Jordan’s. James is caught in the media whirlwind that Jordan created and flash could described many aspects of this man’s life (IE. see LeBron’s welcome party to Miami). Is it his fault? I don’t know. He entered the league as the biggest media attraction since Jordan and he might have fell into a trap that he never intended to. LeBron’s a man and I don’t criticize the decision he made to “take his talents to South Beach”, but he will no longer be mentioned alongside Jordan in any conversation.

Jordan had flash, or as they like to call it these days, swag, but it didn’t define his game. It was even a big part of his game, but it was the fire inside that produced the six titles and could have produced many more had he not taken two years off. LeBron wants to win, but he doesn’t have the fire to do it alone. When the tough gets going, LeBron stumbles. The tougher it got for Jordan, the better he performed. With LeBron’s current situation in Miami, he won’t have to put the pressure on his shoulders when the game is on the line. Dwayne Wade will have that role. Wade’s game is built more on fire than LeBron’s, even though I feel that Wade’s is only 50% fire, 50% flash.

LeBron will still likely win a championship, but his days as possibly being considered the best player of all time are over. He simply doesn’t know how to be a leader. Don’t get me wrong, he’s the most dominating player in the NBA right now, but it takes that rare fire to be special. I truly had hoped and believed that he might have it, but I was mistaken. Flash, a well polished game, and never seen before physical makeup are not enough and they never will be. As mentioned above, Kobe is the only current player in the NBA that I feel comes close to possessing a similar fire to Jordan’s, and that’s why he has enough rings to fill up one hand.

I find it hysterical that LeBron claims he is taking note of everyone that has criticized him and I quote, “I mean everyone.” I don’t think a player wired the way LeBron is knows how to use that criticism to their advantage. What happens when you pour gasoline on a candle? That’s neither here nor there though. This is about Jordan and the greatness he displayed.

With the way the sports world is today, I fear we will never see another athlete that can compare to Michael Jordan. Love him or hate him, the man got it done no matter how he went about it. It’s a sad thing that our youth today do not get to see him play. They see the flash, the cars, the money, and the women. Of course they like watching these guys on the playing field also, but most of them have a drive to be great so they can have the former. True greatness begins with the motive to become great. Unfortunately, the motive isn’t the same today as it was 25 years ago.

Michael Jordan is not only the greatest basketball player of all time, he is the greatest athlete of all time. His greatness isn’t measured on how many points he scored, there are players with more. His greatness isn’t measured on the amount of rings he wears , there are players who have more. The reason there is even a debate on whether he is the greatest player of all-time is because analysts look at what’s on paper to help themselves decide. The stats, the rings, and the awards don’t tell the story. Just by watching this man, you knew that there was something about him that had never been seen and probably never will be again. There’s no words to explain it, but it’s what makes him the greatest player of all time.