Michael Jordan is again the subject of NBA discussions lately on the account of his exploits in the 1980s and 1990s as recalled in "The Last Dance" documentary. The film somehow underpinned the belief by many in the basketball world that MJ is the greatest of all time. On this, Cedric Maxwell disagrees as his bet is LeBron James.
The Celtics legend is not questioning MJ's greatness when it comes to the game. It could be that His Airness played better basketball than James could ever do but according to Maxwell, the Lakers superstar is the GOAT due to a dimension that cannot be seen on the court. The former small forward is a big fan of James's active participation in things that really matter such as being vocal against social injustices.
"LeBron James is the GOAT now ... He's the GOAT because, not only on the basketball side, but social issues: He's been involved in every social issue that we look at," the former NBA champ told NBC Sports.
Maxwell pointed to the strong stand taken by James in the appalling death of George Floyd while being arrested by police officers in Minneapolis, and it's consistent with the way he reacted when Eric Garner suffered the same fate in New York. James did not back down when he saw incidents that highlighted inequality and injustices in America, and in many instances, he sings the same song for similar cases in other parts of the world.
As far as Maxwell is concerned, James is great because he walks the talk and he could only hope that other NBA superstars, past and present can do the same.
"I think more of our players and more NBA people need to step up and find that same courage," stressed the NBA great.
As for Jordan, it's easy to recall that the Chicago Bulls legend mostly played it safe during his reign in the NBA. NBC cited an episode in 1990, also touched by "The Last Dance" docu-series, that saw MJ refusing to endorse Harvey Gant during the latter's bid to become the first African-American senator in North Carolina. The superstar argued then that his move was due to his belief that "Republicans buy sneakers too."
That's exactly the reason why Maxwell cannot vote for MJ as the GOAT because of his greater emphasis on commercial gains.
To be fair though, Jordan did speak out his mind on the Floyd incident and as noted by Clutch Points, the five-time MVP made clear that racial injustice has no place in a decent society.
In the same way, the report said that Maxwell's choice of who the GOAT has merits. James in the season still averages more than 25 points per game and pitches his share in all aspects of the game. Los Angeles is a strong contender for the NBA title, and mostly because of James.
It has to be noted as well that all these feats, including his social activism, James are doing while in his 17th year in the NBA. When others have started fading away at that same point, the Lakers star seems just on a fresh start.
