Scottie Pippen clarifies Michael Jordan and LeBron James comparison – NBA Update
Chicago Bulls legend Scottie Pippen faced a lot of criticism nearly four months ago, when he compared Miami heat superstar LeBron James with the iconic Michael Jordan. Pippen had branded James as the best all round player of all
times, a statement that ruffled a lot of feathers, especially considering the fact that the Heat were tearing through the Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals at that time.
In the days that followed, even LeBron spoke up to further himself from the comparison and Scottie had to retract the comments.
The storm of criticism has since subsided, but Pippen hasn’t forgotten the incident and he recently clarified his stance on the comparison between LeBron James and Michael Jordan.
Speaking at the launch of NBA 2K12, Scottie told Erin Sharoni what he really thought about the two.
“My position is still the same,” Pippen stated. “You’re talking about a very young kid who came to the game at a very young age. Statistically, he will probably be the best player at the end of the day…based on the number of years
he can get in, [he’s a] super athlete, very versatile in a lot of ways.”
That had probably been his stance all along.
Scottie’s comments, made in the spur of the moment after another tremendous showing by James, were made to stress the incredible talent that the NBA fans were witnessing in shape of the Miami Heat forward.
There is no questioning that James is the complete package, he can score, he can defend, he can rebound and he sure can spot a pass. As a player, LeBron could be one of the most fundamentally sound specimens to have ever graced
the court.
That, however, does not make him better than Michael. And Pippen knows that. He just thinks LeBron has the potential to be a true great in his own right.
“My comment was not meant to belittle the greatest player in the game—he has truly made his mark with his style, with his charisma, with his brand—but from a statistical standpoint, I think [LeBron] has great [potential] to be
recognized as the best.” Pippen added.
James has indeed made a mark, and he keeps on impressing with just the completeness of his game. LeBron’s combination of size, speed and strength are probably unmatched in basketball history. Add to that, the bucket loads of talent
he posses and you have a very scary player.
He does though have a long way to go to be compared with Jordan. Michael was ultimate. As good as LeBron is, he still cannot dominate like Jordan did, he cannot break the resolve of opposing teams with the precision that Jordan
could. He just can’t, yet.
However, at the same age, even Jordan hadn’t won an NBA World Championship. So if LeBron can match his achievements from here on in, maybe he can be compared to the greatest of all time.
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