Legendary basketball coach Doc Rivers has weighed in on the Michael Jordan vs LeBron James debate – despite stressing that he doesn’t like comparing the two.
Jordan is considered the greatest player to ever grace the sport by many, having inspired the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships during his iconic stint with the franchise.
Yet just as the Bulls legend brought the curtain down on his career, LeBron then emerged as the apparent heir to his throne in 2003, with the Ohio-born star winning four NBA titles over the past two decades with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and LA Lakers.
James is also the all-time leading scorer in NBA history with 39,440 points, while Jordan holds the record for both career regular season scoring average (30.1 points per game) and career playoff scoring average (33.4 points per game).
Given the pair’s dominance in their respective eras, basketball fans have not tired of comparing LeBron with Jordan over the years. And now Rivers has had his say.
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Basketball coach Doc Rivers has weighed in on the Michael Jordan vs LeBron James debate
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The two NBA legends have been compared endlessly by basketball fans over the years
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Rivers believes Jordan is the greatest of all time despite admitting he doesn’t like comparing
‘I hate the GOAT debate, [but] I’m a Michael guy,’ the former Philadelphia 76ers coach said during an interview on Showtime Basketball with Kevin Garnett.
‘But that doesn’t mean anything bad about LeBron. Bron’s gonna have the greatest career ever.
There’s no doubt he’s going to have a GOAT career, but for me the single player is Mike. But that doesn’t make LeBron bad. I feel like, if you say one, that means you’re putting down the other one. They’re both amazing.
‘It’s a fun debate, but I just hate that when you do it, people think you’re putting down one guy or the other.’
Rivers was most recently in charge of the 76ers before he was fired in the aftermath of their defeat by the Boston Celtics in game seven of the 2023 Eastern Conference semifinals.
He previously guided the Celtics to the NBA Championship in 2008, while also enjoying spells with the Orlando Magic and LA Clippers.
‘I don’t know what I’m gonna do,’ Rivers told TMZ after his Philadelphia departure back in July. ‘I’m just gonna enjoy life.’
LeBron is still going strong in the NBA at the age of 39, and he showed the passion for the game is still there last week.
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He says the Chicago Bulls legend will always be the man when it comes to the GOAT debate
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LeBron is still going strong in the NBA with the Lakers after recently enjoying his 39th birthday
The Lakers icon exploded in fury after a last-gasp three pointer to tie their game vs. Minnesota was ruled out after officials said his foot was on the three-point line.
LA trailed the Timberwolves by three points with just 2.3 seconds remaining when James’ shot found its home.
But the 39-year-old’s birthday celebrations soon turned into rage after the officials ruled it only as a two-pointer, leaving the Wolves up 107-106. The play was reviewed, only for the call on the floor to stand.
LeBron then spotted a replay of his shot on a courtside screen, which appeared to show his foot being on the three-point line by a razor-thin margin, although differing angles suggest otherwise.
‘It’s obviously a three – my foot is behind the line,’ said James, who was almost ruled out of Saturday’s game with COVID-19 illness. ‘You can see the space between the front of my foot and the three point line. You can clearly see the wood on the floor – there’s a space between the front of my foot and the three point line. Stevie Wonder can see that, champ!’
