Before LeBron James, Michael Jordan ranked Larry Bird among his all-time top five players.
In the 2009 GOAT argument, Michael Jordan boldly asserted that Larry Bird was superior to LeBron James.
Jordan included Bird on his list of the all-time greats, explaining that no small forward could match the legendary Boston Celtics player.
But Jordan stated as much in Jackie MacMullan’s 2009 book When the Game Was Ours, right before James won his first NBA championship but right before he was collecting his first MVP award.
“Larry was a debate,” Jordan remarked. He is still the same.
“I’m frequently asked who my all-time five favorite players are, and every time I say Larry, someone stops me.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” they exclaim. No way can he compete with LeBron James!
The Lakers forward is getting closer to a number of NBA greats who are all-time greats, including as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who has held the scoring record for more than 40 years.
Some people, like Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors, may still leave James out of their all-time starting lineups.
Furthermore, the NBA just named the new MVP trophy after six-time champion and five-time MVP Michael Jordan, demonstrating how unresolved the GOAT controversy is.
However, in general, James has proven himself worthy of being ranked either alongside or ahead of Bird as the greatest player in league history.
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