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In the neverending debate about Michael Jordan or LeBron James as the greatest NBA player of all-time, Sacramento Kings star De’Aaron Fox comes down on the side of the king.
In an interview with Cyro Asseo de Choch of HoopsHype, Fox called James his GOAT in part because he’s been great for a longer period of time than Jordan was.
“What MJ did in 15 years is crazy,” Fox said. “But what LeBron’s done in his career and is still doing is nuts. I would say Bron, I didn’t watch Michael Jordan play, so I’m not going to pick somebody I didn’t watch play.”
Even though it goes against the grain of sports debate, it’s okay to say there’s no wrong answer if you pick either Jordan or James. They aren’t similar in terms of playing style, but the results are incredible regardless.
The main argument for Jordan is he went 6-0 in the NBA Finals, compared to 4-6 for James. They also played in different eras when player movement during Jordan’s era wasn’t nearly as prevalent as it is today, so the Chicago Bulls could keep their nucleus together for a long period of time. It could have been even longer if Jerry Reinsdorf didn’t insist on not wanting to keep them together.
It won’t be a surprise if James starts to get more votes as the GOAT among active NBA players than Jordan by virtue of their age.
Fox was born in December 1997, so he didn’t get to experience the peak of Jordan’s career as it was happening. He was only five when Jordan retired for the final time after the 2002-03 season.
By comparison, James’ career began two months before Fox turned six. The Kings guard has lived through the entirety of LeBron’s run as the best player in the NBA, including playing against him for eight seasons.
Even at this stage of James’ career when he’s no longer at the very top of the player hierarchy, he’s still playing at an All-NBA level in his 22nd season. The four-time MVP is averaging 23.5 points, 9.4 assists and 8.1 rebounds per game for the Los Angeles Lakers.
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