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To most fans, analysts, and players, Michael Jordan is the undisputed greatest player in NBA history.
Fortunately, most can also agree that LeBron James is also a top-tier player and perhaps a close second to the legendary shooting guard.
Others have LeBron at No. 1 and Jordan at No. 2, with a small group of people choosing a different player.
Whatever the case, the consensus seems to be that those two are the best to ever do it and that the gap isn’t as wide at this point.
That’s why, as much as he’s always advocated for Jordan as the best player in history, ESPN pundit Stephen A. Smith believes LeBron James still has a chance to surpass it.
.@stephenasmith on the NBA GOAT conversation
“Michael Jordan is the greatest player of all time. … If LeBron James beats Denver and marches forward to ultimately win another chip, I don’t know how strong my argument is going to be on behalf of Jordan moving forward.” pic.twitter.com/1YTSeCNSrp
— First Take (@FirstTake) April 18, 2024
How?
Well, by taking down the reigning NBA champion Denver Nuggets and winning his fifth championship.
Talking on “First Take,” Smith stated that he didn’t know whether he could keep making a case for Jordan as the NBA GOAT if James somehow won another championship this season.
Of course, there will be some who will always find a way to have Jordan ahead of him and vice versa.
LeBron’s negative record in the NBA Finals is an argument for most, while others point at his numbers and his unmatched durability as the defining factor in his favor.
Winning a ring at 39 years old and playing the way he’s played would certainly do wonders for his legacy.
Then again, it’s hard to envision anybody changing his mind about him at this point in his career, as it’s not like he has anything left to prove.
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