Barry Recks
You have heard this debate before: LeBron James vs. Kobe Bryant vs. Michael Jordan. For a long time now, people have argued that LeBron James already has surpassed both Kobe and Jordan as the greatest player ever in the history of basketball. Well, that simply is not the case – and it will never be. That GOAT ship has long sailed for LeBron James, who got his legacy tarnished even more after his Los Angeles Lakers squad got absolutely obliterated by the Denver Nuggets in the 2023 NBA Western Conference Finals.
Read on for more about this all-time heated subject, as brought to you by JefeBet. Also, don’t forget to check out the other NBA game previews and content here to help you make the best betting decisions.
3 Reasons why LeBron James is not on the same level as Kobe and Michael Jordan
Here comes the broom
What kind of player would claim he’s the greatest player ever despite getting swept multiple times in the playoffs? Only LeBron James, and for that, he must be automatically disqualified from GOAT discussions. Sure, Michael Jordan himself also had to endure such embarrassing experiences in the playoffs when he got swept by Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics in 1986 and again by the same team the following year, but his teams never laid an egg in the grandest stage of the NBA.
As we all know, Jordan finished his NBA career with an immaculate finals record, winning on each of his six trips to the big show. It’s the same case with Kobe, who also had his share of sweeps in the playoffs – but never in the NBA Finals. LeBron? He and the Cleveland Cavaliers were smashed, destroyed, obliterated, and punched in the mouth by Kevin Durant and the Golden State Warriors. And more recently, he and the Los Angeles Lakers got wiped out in four games by the Denver Nuggets.
Second-rate defense
LeBron James is by no means an utterly bad defensive player, especially during his peak After all, he made it to a total of six All-Defensive teams. But compared to Jordan and Kobe, the latter two easily come across as the better defensive players.
By comparison, LeBron’s defense is only second-rate. Jordan was just as vicious of a scorer as he was on the defensive end of the floor. On top of appearing in a total of nine All-Defensive teams, Jordan also won a Defensive Player of the Year. Kobe had gotten a total of 12 All-Defensive team nods. Again, six All-Defensive teams inclusions aren’t too shabby for LeBron, but they obviously just aren’t on par with Jordan and Kobe.
Inferior killer instinct
LeBron James has played for so long in the NBA and over the years, basketball fans have seen numerous examples of why his killer instinct is simply not on par with Jordan and Kobe. When it comes to delivering the goods in the clutch and twisting the knife in the opponent’s heart, Jordan and Kobe are absolute experts in those fields.
As for LeBron, whatever type of dagger he tries to bury in the opposing team’s chest, it’s probably made of plastic or rubber. LeBron has either missed clutch shots or passed the ball on whenever his team needed a bucket the most. While LeBron has his fair share of big shots, they just pale in comparison in terms of impact and aren’t as iconic as the ones buried by His Airness.
U.S. Residents Claim this Offer:
[the_ad_placement id=”articles-draftkings”]
Residents of Chile Claim this Offer:
[the_ad_placement id=”articles-jefebet-chile”]
Not in the USA or Chile? Play Now!
[the_ad_placement id=”articles-jefe-predicciones”]
