Jordan was 21 when he came into the league. Lebron was 18. Lebron had a monster season and is a future HOFer but you can't start making the Jordan comparisons until his career is finished.
I'm not trying to put an asterisk on LeBron's ring, but in a lockout season, and the teams he had to face to get to the Finals has to come up in the conversation. I mean the lowly Knicks, pfft. The Pacers are good defensively, but come on now. The OLD Botson Celtic's. Yeah they were down by a game in the last two series, but it was highly unlikely they loose to either team. I for one thought the Thunder would have won it all, but I did not account for the scrub role players having an huge effect on this series. LeBron had a great playoff run, but Kobe is still ahead of him career wise.
Read this on realcavsfans.com on lebron winning a ring LOL: "Re: 2012 Finals !! I'm going to let the hate build all night. How's that ****ing elbow doing, you douchebag. Hopefully, LeBron will find himself torn to shreds and devoured by a pack of derelicts hopped up on bath salts tonight in Miami. That would be a ****ing WONDEFRUL story to wake up to. And God****ingdammit, I don't want anyone spouting off any of that mature bull**** that we shouldn't be pissed. I was ****ing at the Miracle in Richfield. I drove 450 miles on a Sunday from my duty station in Va. to see Jordan hit the Shot against Ehlo, and then drove the ****ing 450 miles back. I watched us win the lottery to get James, and then I watched that miserable bag of puke shoot one-handed free throws, and then just give up against the Celtics in game 5. I'm ****ing pissed, filled with hate, and **** anyone who doesn't like it. So go, you ****ing Miami derelicts. Do whatever you do with your bath salts, and devour his still breathing, agonized body. ****er."
What the hell? Kobe graced the cover of GQ and had a full 8 page photo spread, grew up in Italy, and all he had was Gasol for 2 championships. Not Wade and Bosh. And most importantly, he doesn't have an asterisks next to his titles. Absolutely pathetic post.
You are forgetting odom. They also had bynum 5he last couple of years. Everyone was saying OKC would run right through the heat, how the spurs-thunder was the actual final. Now that the king has done it, We have the haters coming out in full force with equally absurd arguments.
Done what? He's still a virgin charading as a juggaboo. Everybody gave DRob a golf clap when he won his title, but the standing ovation is reserved for those who win it without an asterisk. And atleast DRob had the dignity not to collude. With an asterisk, all the fairweather fans have something to cheer about and the NBA makes it's money but the guys who understand the blood, sweat and tears of a real NBA season know it doesn't mean much. Hey, I'd love for LeBron to win with all his talent, but the truth is what it is. He took advantage of an illegitimate situation in a lockout shortened season. That's not even taking into consideration the reigning MVP went out injured before he could face the Heat, a colluded team, but I'm not a petty guy. Congrats to Kevin Durant, who is gonna run train on all the legitimate titles to come.
Short answer: No... BUT if he keeps playing at this level consistently in the next 3-5 years we (fans of other teams) are all in trouble. I can see him surpassing Kobe's total body of work but I just can't see him passing Jordan's total body of work. Though, some of Jordan's playoff records will probably be broken by James.
There was a thread a while back asking whether the champion of this season will have an asterisk to its name and the majority of the posters said that winning this season would be no less impressive than every other year, perhaps more so. I knew it right then that some were qualifying this with an unspoken "unless the Heat win it".
LeBron is the greatest basketball player on the planet. But in terms of legacy, LeBron has not passed Kobe.
LeBron is a better player than Kobe was from an efficiency/productivity standpoint. Championships, which are largely dependent on luck and circumstance, is the only area where Kobe really has an edge.
Doesn't matter what the majority say, the majority are normally uninformed and fairweather. A lot of the players didn't even want to show up during these playoffs but had to go out there and give 75% due to contractual obligations.
Lebron is fantastic but Kobe is/was just purely lethal. The closest we'll ever get at the wing position to Jordan. Lebron is a bit more well rounded but as a scorer Kobe simply beats him. Who would you be more scared to face in their prime?
