The King, the G.O.A.T, and the Legend proclaimed to everyone that the debate is over. In reality, the debate may never be over or maybe it will at some point when James decides to retire. Right now more then any time in the last 20 years, people are starting to jump off the Jordan bandwagon and realize that there is a new G.O.A.T. The percentages still favor Jordan but it's closer then it has ever been. Why do you think they are coming out with Jordan and Bulls documentary? We can go through stats and a number of different points to make a case for both guys but for me, three big things stick out. LeBron James in a time where analytics measure everything is head and shoulders above Jordan and is a better 3pt shooter, passer, rebounder, and more versatile defender. The next is the 6 for 6 argument which every Jordan supporter brings up but Jordan was favored in every finals and not one team they faced were as good as any team LeBron's team faced in the finals. The biggest thing for me is Scottie Pippen and Phil Jackson. Without Pippen, he missed the playoffs twice, never made it out of the first round, and had an overall record of 1-9 in the playoffs. Without Jackson, he missed the playoffs twice, made the eastern conference finals one time, and had an overall record of 14-23 in the playoffs. You can write James story without one particular coach or one particular player but Jordan's story changes without Jackson and Pippen. There is no discussion of Jordan being the greatest player of all time without either one of those guys. Are we sure Jordan would be a top 5 player based on what he did without them? Not many people are considered as one of the best players to play without any titles. He had 5 seasons without Pippen and won 1 playoff game. He had 7 seasons without Jackson and never got to the Finals and only made the Eastern Conference finals 1 time. On to the second point of the article which for me is an intriguing one. What if LeBron is this era Ali? In the political correctness and social media world, he is the closest thing we have seen in a long time. He is controversial, opinionated, motivated, community orientated, and sticks up for what he believes in. Ali wasn't always the most beloved person in the world and doesn't have the best record of all time or held as many titles but Ali told you he was the greatest. Ali made you believe that he was better than anyone else and couldn't be stopped. What if LeBron truly is this generation's Ali? What if LeBron keeps telling you he is the greatest and keeps playing at a high level? Eventually, you might just believe him.
