Michael Jordan and LeBron James are two of the best basketball players of all time. But that’s not good enough. The debate rages on as to who the greatest of all time is in every sport, but perhaps basketball has the most-headed arguments.
Jordan held that honor for a long time. The Chicago Bulls legend was a 14-time All-Star, 10-time scoring champion, five-time MVP, and won six NBA titles.
However, LeBron just broke the all-time scoring record, is a 19-time All-Star, and has won four NBA titles – and counting. He’s more than lived up to the astronomical hype that he had, but the few blemishes on his record loom large.
Hall of Famer Phil Jackson coached Jordan and the Bulls to all six of their NBA championships in the 1990s. He joined the Audacy Original Podcast “Stacey King’s Gimme The Hot Sauce” and gave one simple fact that made a pretty strong case for the Chicago legend.
“You can only turn to the fact that Michael went to the Finals six times and won six championships,” Jackson said. “How many seventh games in the final series did Michael have to go through? Never did. Never happened. We won in six at the most. The reality is the record stands and that’s what happens in careers.”
Jordan was a perfect six-and-oh in the NBA Finals in his career and took care of business in six games or fewer all six times.
Meanwhile, LeBron has lost more NBA Finals than he’s won with four rings in 10 tries. Making the Finals 10 times is no easy feat, but those six defeats put him over Jordan for Jackson.
“The game has changed and the players have changed, and how the game has been played has also changed,” Jackson said. “So take nothing away from either player, it’s still a fact that Michael went to the Finals six times and won six championships.”
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