The MJ vs. Lebron debate is endless. We love to talk about it. We hate to talk about it. We love to hate talking about it. But we will never stop talking about it.
I’m serious. Decades will pass and the same arguments will get discussed in bars and dorms alike. This is in part because there are many good points on both sides and partly because we’ll never know for sure. Simply, they never played against each other so there is no definitive answer.
Well I’m just not going to sit here and let that happen. I’m going to put an end to this right now and hit everyone with a hard truth: Lebron James isn’t cool enough to be the greatest basketball player of all time.
Forget the stats. Forget the records and the championships. Above all, the NBA is the league of cool. I can’t pinpoint when this happened. NBA players have been experimenting with flashy styles for awhile now but some time in the past few years they went from following risky trends to starting them. And there is only one man to credit for this pivot:
This man is the epitome of cool. He says what he wants, does what he wants, and doesn’t want to surrender to the “superteam” strategy. Because of this, Russ probably won’t have any rings at the end of his career. In the past, the rings argument was almost the only thing that has mattered in the discussion for greatest of all time. That’s why I’m insisting that we take a stand now and change that narrative. “Cool” needs to be factored into the discussion henceforth. Otherwise, Russ is going to be one of the last of a his kind. And that’s a damn shame.
Also, don’t feed me any of this “Lebron is the best basketball player and a great role model for kids” nonsense. Don’t get it twisted. Russ is the real role model. When he’s out manned he works harder, he doesn’t look for handouts. He talks his shit when he’s up and doesn’t complain about refs when he’s down. There’s nothing passive agressive about him. Full authenticity at every turn. He speaks his mind. There is nothing cooler than being cocky and then backing it up. And ever since he put on the cockiest number there is with the double zero, he’s done nothing but back it up.
Lebron James is the most talented basketball player. Unfortunately, that’s just not how we’re judging players anymore. It’s the league of cool so if you think that’s unfair then go watch baseball where they can’t grow superstars no matter what they do.
Honorable Mention: Joel Embiid
