The Los Angeles Lakers winning their 17th NBA championship can be largely attributed to the heroics of LeBron James. The King had Anthony Davis by his side during the entire campaign but for many, James was the force behind the successful run. Yet according to Magic Johnson, the GOAT debate is far from settled.
His latest NBA trophy is fourth for James he is still short of two compared to Michael Jordan's haul of six in the 1990s. if the question of who is the greatest in the NBA begs for an answer now, the finger is not yet pointing to the Lakers superstar.
That's because the numbers favor Jordan, who won his six NBA rings with the Chicago Bulls, and notably, MJ's haul comes with the footnote of 6-0, meaning he tried six times for the Larry O'Brien and he was never disappointed.
In comparison, James battled though 10 NBA Finals and came out with four trophies. He could go on to match Jordan's title collections but the fact will remain the Bulls legend boast of a better record. And for an obvious reason - Jordan has never lost an NBA Finals campaign.
For Johnson, the best that James can do is to be considered as equal to MJ in the raging GOAT debate. And that is the 35-year-old will get his No. 5 next season, according to Fadeaway World.
"It's hard to say he's overtaken Michael at four championships. Once he wins and repeats - the keyword here is repeat - that's a good argument right there," the Lakers legend was reported as saying in his Twitter post.
At the same time, Johnson said he is convinced that the title win this 2020 will not be the last for James, especially if the four-time MVP will continue collaborating with AD. And Davis is not seen to leave the Lakers because as Johnson pointed out, his superstar status happened in Los Angeles as well as his success.
So it would be foolish for AD to find a new home when he is already inhabiting a splendid one, Johnson maintained.
Now people will continue to argue on who is the greatest and for Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports, James has an edge over Jordan because of the path he took in securing his titles. His was not a smooth ride while Jordan's was relatively stable because the Bulls legend campaigned and won with a single team.
As for James, he worked his way through the four championships minus the consistency enjoyed by Jordan and The King delivered.
"He is capable of overcoming dysfunction, rebuilds, different coaches, and uncertainty with a combination of talent, attitude, and leadership," Wetzel wrote.
James sought to win honor for the teams he joined up with and he found success. That's because James is the X-factor, which is not the case for Jordan, Wetzel said.
