NBA Update: LeBron James humbled by comparisons, but says Michael Jordan is the real King
Two nights after Scottie Pippen created a furore in the NBA world by comparing LeBron James with the iconic Michael Jordan, James has finally put an end to the controversy by playing down the comparison. The Miami Heat forward said that although it gave him the greatest pleasure to be acknowledged for his work on the basketball court by a legend like Pippen, he simply is not in the same boat as Michael Jordan,
"I'm not better than Jordan," James said.
His comments came after Scottie Pippen had said that he considered Michael Jordan as the greatest scorer in the game but LeBron James was perhaps the best all round player of the game.
Pippen’s comments essentially meant that he had put LeBron ahead of Jordan which drew a sharp backlash from Michael Jordan (MJ) supporters. The former Chicago small forward tried to calm down the storm somewhat through posts on a social networking website. Pippen posted that he still considered MJ as the greatest to play the game and added that James had the potential to overtake him in time.
Pippen was so hasty in his remarks that he did not even consider that James has still not won a single NBA world championship. James highlighted that very fact.
"Michael's an unbelievable player," James said Saturday. "I've got a long way -- long way -- to be mentioned as far as one of the all-time greats. Not even just Jordan. There's a lot of great players who have played in this league. Larry Bird, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, all these guys who are floating around with multiple rings, Bill Russell, all these guys who have pioneered this game.”
LeBron James only trip to the NBA Finals so far ended in defeat back in 2007 and as such the player is not viewed as an all time great. There is no doubting James’ talent, however as he himself has stated now, he has a long way to go. To be considered in the same league as Jordan, he has to first prove himself ahead of legends like Larry Bird, Hakeem Olajuwon, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Only after a handful of world titles and universal acclaim, can LeBron be compared with “his airness”. James also added that he was flattered and humbled by Scottie Pippen’s comments and held the former Bulls star in the highest regard, but he just could not agree with his assessment,
"I'm gracious. Humbled by Scottie's comments, especially with him being a teammate of his and seeing Michael on a day-to-day basis. But as far as me, I'm not going to sit here and say I'm better than Jordan. I'm not better than Jordan" said the Miami Heat Superstar.
LeBron James can however take the first step towards building his own legacy by winning his first world title this year. James has led the Miami Heat to the NBA Finals this year, however he and his Heat have got to find a way to knock down the mighty Dallas Mavericks.
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