I can admit that it's at least arguable that Lebron may be as talented as Jordan, and maybe even more, in some areas. I can also accept that it's at least debatable to think that he may rival, match or even exceed Jordan's many and notable accomplishments, by the time Lebron's finally done. I can admit that I've largely gotten past the the immediate and near-vomitus disdain which I had for him following "The Decision", and the sheer narcissistic silliness that I think it brilliantly exposed, but which is not unique to him, alone, by any means. Simply, I can honestly say that I don't hate the guy. I've even come to respect what he's doing, however begrudgingly. But.....I don't like the guy. I think Miami bought itself some championships, and that he sold himself to that endeavor - and his hometown out, in the process. Is it naive for me to think that? A little too quaint, nostalgic and overly-simplistic? Absolutely. But it doesn't make me believe that any less about him. I don't believe that Jordan would have done that, and in fact, he didn't. And despite however bad the Bulls were for his first few years (the same amount of time that Lebron was in Cleveland, before bailing) I think he plays like a straight-up [itch bay], and does so brazenly and without shame. This is beautifully evidenced in the hundreds of "Lebron Flops" videos / memes which seem to crop up every few weeks or so. Of course, this is only made even more quizzical, given his absolute and undeniably freakish frame and skill set. Or when he simply took it when Kobe was calling him out - on the court, during a game, no less - for being afraid to shoot. I've never seen a single video of Jordan flopping, comically flailing himself to the court even in the complete absence of any contact, but some undoubtedly exists, I would guess. I can say that I've never seen a montage of Jordan doing it, much less dozens / hundreds of them. I think that he is mentally weak, and is far more likely to not only fail to rise to the occasion when it matters the most - and from which no ball player is exempted, Jordan being absolutely and notably included - but to disappear, entirely. Or at his worst, to even make a consistently honest effort toward doing so. I can't recall a single game, certainly any in the playoffs, where Jordan was accused of having "disappeared" or seemed to slink away from the pressure of the game, or his opponent or the next shot. In contrast, this is the very thing which defined Lebron's existence, up until the last two years. Does all of this make Lebron a shitty player? Obviously, no. Barring a complete collapse, he seems destined to go down as one of the greatest players in the history of the game. It just means that he isn't as great as Michael Jordan, and never will be. JMHO.
Jordan [itch bay]ed constantly when he was in the league. He acted like any contact to him that wasn't called was an affront to the game. He constantly tried to tell management how to run the Bulls. I actually wish they had listened to him, because he's proven he's an absolute imbecile once given that responsibility. Further, he's a scumbag of the highest order. That an entire generation was duped into believing he's anything but a truly sorry excuse for a human being shows how little attention America actually pays.
You rip LeBron for narcissim, while fellating and carrying water for a guy who makes Barry Bonds look humble. Makes perfect sense.
He [itch bay]ed about refs and tried to insert himself into the front office. Those aren't unique to Jordan, are they? What makes him a scumbag? I do not know, and am willing to be educated. So, I ask.
Yeah, he "sold his hometown" out by leaving an endless turnstile of guys like Antawn Jamison and Mo Williams as his second options to go play for a team assembled by one of the greatest basketball minds of all time. That notion isn't quaint, it's [dadgum] silly.
Can you point me to the line where I said that Jordan was free of any narcissism? When you re-read it, and cannot, maybe it'll make better sense to you, then.
Just like Jordan did, right? Who was he playing with his first few years in Chicago? I really don't know, but from the tack you've taken, I assume them to be all-stars. I forgot about Riles involvement in Miami, and apologize for failing to light the requisite candle, and with my shoes still on no less! I thought that I fleshed out the weaknesses of my sentiment pretty clearly, but will take "silly" under consideration for inclusion.
Where to start? Being suspended by the league for associating with people Floyd Mayweather would be ashamed of is a good start. Then trying to sell his exile as some baseball playing tribute to his slain father to people idiotic enough to buy that nonsense keeps it rolling. Leaving a string of illegitimate children across the Southern League that he used his wealth to never have to deal with or own up to is another nice part of Jordan's character. It's also instructive that the only real friends he has from his playing days are second rate guys willing to take his shit for a smidgen of reflected glory. Ask the guys who were in business with him at his restaurant what a fine guy he is. He thinks anything any team he played on ever accomplished was solely due to him, while the failures were on everyone but him.
Where did he get a pass, exactly? Wait, are you saying that? It sounds like you're saying that I said that, which is puzzling, because I didn't. At all. Anywhere. So, you're saying that Jordan gets a pass? I'm not sure about that. Now, Jordan wasn't so dimwitted as to somehow manage to become the very walking embodiment of silliest form of narcissism - which is no easy feat, amongst professional athletes - as Lebron did with "The Decision" (should I put a copyright mark beside that phrase? Surely Lebron copyrighted that, right? I'm no lawyer.). But I don't know how you can use that as a platform to say that Jordan was free from narcissism, or that he somehow deserves a pass for any he may have had. I could be wrong. Up may be down.
First, Jordan being solely about Jordan, the iconic color scheme for the initial Air Jordans pretty much only worked with the Bulls uniforms. Further, Chicago was a massive media market which kept him out front and put him in a position to push product even on a .500ish team. Other than the Lakers and Celtics, who had no need for his services at that point, he had no organization to go to that provided him the stage to pimp for Nike, while playing for a better organization at the time.
Someone obviously never saw the ode to self worship that was Jordan's press conference upon his return to the Bulls. Hell, now that I think about it, the one he gave after coming out of retirement to play in Washington was even worse.
He hangs out with bad people + he had illegitimate kids that he never "owned up to" + he lied about being exiled from the NBA (please, prove that one - because I don't think you can)= scumbag? Not endearing qualities, for sure. But are these unique to him? Or just all scumbags? I recall a thread where you were defending Tiger Woods' off-the-course troubles, and claiming that it was neither anyone's business nor mattered? There may have also been a racial component to that debate, too, but I'm not certain about that. That aside, do I recall the generals gist of it correctly? If so, what's different here, as it relates to Jordan?
So, he didn't leave Chicago after some rough early years? And he liked matching sneakers. I'm going to put a pin in that one, too.
There are many accounts of Jordan behaving like an ass. I am not saying you said anything. How me asking if he gets a pass declares that you said he did is beyond me. You'll have to explain it. I am asking you if Jordan somehow gets a pass, and if so why? You are the one who mentioned James being a narcissist as if it mattered. Or did you not?
