Hakeem Olajuwon has weighed in on the subject, I hesitate to call it a debate, about LeBron James vs. Michael Jordan. From CNBC:
"When people start comparing him with Jordan then that's not a fair comparison. Jordan was a far more superior player in a very tough league, he was very creative," former Houston Rockets star Hakeem Olajuwon told CNBC's Worldwide Exchange.
"That's not taking away anything from LeBron because he is a great player but it is not a fair comparison because Jordan is a far superior player."
via Michael Jordan ‘far superior’ to LeBron James: Ex-NBA champ Hakeem Olajuwon.
Olajuwon played with Jordan, and every player that played with Jordan believes Jordan was the greatest. Every reporter that covered Jordan believes he was the greatest. Every fan that watched Jordan believes he was the greatest. There was nothing, absolutely nothing like watching Jordan.
I mean...
Even if you have an argument that is well formulated which convincingly makes the case for James, Jordan was the first player to change the game the way he did. Bird, Magic, Kareem, Russell, none of them had the impact on the game as a cultural force the way Jordan did. And being the first is going to carry impact forever.
But if you start to parse down Olajuwon's particular words, it gets interesting.
First off, "far superior" is obviously subjective, and can mean a lot of things. But is the gap between MJ and LeBron the same as say, the gap between LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony, or Clyde Drexler? Or is it the difference between Jordan and Rik Smits or Paul Pierce?
Far superior is probably a bit much. However, the next four to five years will be key. Jordan was so good, right up until the second retirement. James could be having an off year, but if his dominance doesn't last until his mid-30's, that's going to impact the gap between the two.
One thing that Olajuwon's definitely wrong about, however, is the creativity aspect. Jordan had more post moves, had more ways of contorting his body to find and hit shots, and a more fluid offensive game.
But James is a "far superior" passer than MJ was. He's able to make incredible passes to any corner of the court at breakneck speed. He has touch on his passes that defies convention, and the athletic ability to do things which no other human can do. I would agree Jordan was better, having "witnessed" both, but James' game is transcendent, and Olajuwon, just slightly, does him a disservice here.
HT: SLAMOnline via Sportando
