Debate over. LeBron The King > Jordan The Goat
Michael Jordan is The Goat, and in watching his “The Last Dance” infomercial dressed as a documentary that was the lone priority for his life.
As such, Michael Jordan is the greatest at putting an orange ball through an iron hoop, and only he knows if it was worth it. The price on that tag is beyond any monetary amount.
The moral of his story is that it’s possible, if you are ruthlessly selfish. He is the not first, nor will he be the last, person to attain success at a tremendous personal price, and toll.
An offspring of ESPN’s 10-part documercial is a reason to debate exactly who is the greatest basketball player of all time, of which LeBron James is active member in the discussion.
I know two things: If both MJ and LBJ were eligible as 20-year-olds, every single GM, president and owner in basketball would select LeBron James over Michael Jordan. Every GM takes the bigger, faster, stronger athlete.
Michael Jordan is a brilliant athlete with no peer, however, LeBron James may be the best athlete of all time.
And while Jordan may be The Goat, LeBron is The King. In the debate of their careers, The King beats The Goat.
Not because of what they did with a basketball in their hands, but specifically their scope of impact when there was no ball to be played.
In becoming The Goat, Jordan inspired multiple generations of people To Be Like Mike, which was to be good at playing basketball.
In becoming The King, LeBron is inspiring his generation, not to be like LeBron, but to be good at life.
It is well documented that during Jordan’s career, the Jumpman preferred to jump right over any social issues. Despite the power of his platform, Jordan wanted no part of anything that might have damaged the brand.
Now that Jordan is 57, with enough money to fund multiple generations of his bloodline, he can do whatever he wants. With no fear of any backlash, the elder Jordan is doing things the younger Jordan would never have touched.
To his credit, he started a hospital in Charlotte that serves those with little to no health insurance. In 2016, he spoke out on the shootings of African Americans by police officers, and made $1 million donations to groups trying to build relationships between communities.
Better late than never, indeed.
Inspired by Jordan to be good at basketball, LeBron has used a similar platform to effect people far beyond his own circle. That’s what makes him greater than Jordan.
At some point, your life is about more than just ball.
LeBron recognizes the power of his brand, and that if he speaks out on an issue or two or 10, it will have no impact on his brand. In fact, speaking out may actually strengthen it.
In 2019, he founded a school in his native Akron, Ohio, for at-risk kids.
LeBron has been unafraid to speak on social issues that affect his community. Would Michael Jordan ever have spoken on the shooting of Trayvon Martin, much less lead a protest the way James did?
MJ’s playing career, of course, didn’t fall in the era of Twitter or Instagram. There was no immediate way to engage directly with fans and share your views. However, there is also nothing he did in his career that suggests he would have used either platform to do anything other than to sell more Air Jordans.
Jordan’s popularity created a level of reach no athlete previously ever enjoyed, or was cursed to navigate. The late Kobe Bryant was not one to delve too far away from the floor, either. Although later in his career, and after he was done playing, Kobe’s fierce advocacy of youth sports, especially for girls, began to emerge publicly.
LeBron has taken a similar platform that Jordan unintentionally helped to create, and made it a mission to affect people beyond a circle of friends no bigger than a basketball hoop. That’s not just building a basketball legacy, but a life whose legacy endures forever.
That is why LeBron James is The King, and a king can beat a goat any day.
