Ever since he entered the NBA in 2003, LeBron James has been compared to Michael Jordan. There are many young fans out there who think LeBron is the GOAT while others seem to think that MJ is the undisputed greatest of all time. Thanks to "The Last Dance" documentary, the MJ-LeBron comparisons have ramped up and have become an unhealthy obsession for many people.
In a recent interview, Charles Barkley attempted to shut these comparisons down as he spoke on LeBron and who he should really be likened to. As he explains, Magic Johnson is a better comparison while Kobe Bryant is the man who is closer to MJ.
“In my opinion, Michael the GOAT,” Barkley told "The Lefkoe Show." “And LeBron, to me, I’ve always said he’s closer to Magic Johnson than he is to Michael. I ain’t never gonna say anything bad about LeBron James, but the closest to Michael I’ve ever seen was Kobe. And what I mean by that is a guy who has a singular vision, like, I just want to win. I’m not worried what my teammates think. I’m not worried about what the coach think. I just want to win.”
Barkley's opinion shouldn't come as much of a shock to anyone although if you're a LeBron fan, you might get just a little defensive. Hopefully, we can all get along on this topic someday.
Luka Doncic Reacts To Recent LeBron James Comparisons
Luka has been nothing short of dominant this season.
Luka Doncic has been one of the best young players in the NBA ever since he was drafted back in 2018. Coming from the European leagues, there was no guarantee that Doncic would be as good as he is now. Regardless, Doncic has surpassed all expectations and if he leads the Mavericks to the playoffs, there is a real chance he could win NBA MVP. At just 20 years old, Doncic is receiving some pretty lofty comparisons, particularly to guys like Michael Jordan and LeBron James.
Doncic has been fairly humble about his success and recently spoke about his feelings towards these comparisons. The Mavericks superstar is fairly reserved about the LeBron comparison and believes he still has a long way to go before he can receive such an honor. After all, it’s only his second year in the league.
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“I’m nowhere near that,” Doncic said per Dwain Price of Mavs.com. “I’m 20 years old and this is my second year in the league. Anything can happen, so I’ve got to prove a lot.”
If you’re a Mavericks fan, the future is certainly bright in Dallas. Kristaps Porzingis and Luka Doncic are a great one-two punch and are in a great position to create a Western Conference contender for years to come.