Due to the extreme popularity of ESPN’s “The Last Dance,” the sports world has once again returned to the Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James debate.
The conversation has been going on for quite some time, but has reached a peak in its divisiveness due to the documentary. This time, it’s former Cleveland Cavaliers head coach David Blatt who decided to weigh in.
Blatt was the coach of the Cavaliers from 2014-2016. He was brought in weeks prior to James’ return to the team in 2014, and was the coach as the team clinched a berth in the 2015 NBA Finals.
Despite making the Finals and having the Eastern Conference’s best record in the 2015-16 season, the Cavaliers fired Blatt and hired Tyronn Lue. The Cavs would go on to win the 2016 NBA Finals and Blatt was given a championship ring.
Blatt shared his opinion on the debate between the two legends while on a TV panel in Israel, where he coached before and after his time with the Cavaliers, according to Eurohoops:
“Michael Jordan is bigger than LeBron James,” he pointed out on Sunday commenting on the latest episodes made available, “he won the most championships with one single team and did not focus on the “I” but on the “us”. But surely, in terms of ability and influence, they are both included in the top five best players in history.”
It’s fairly obvious that both Jordan and James are top five players of all-time. However, the debate over who is the greatest likely won’t go away any time soon, as there simply will never be a definitive answer.
Perhaps Blatt, who coached James for two years, has some expertise on the subject. But for every James expert that says Jordan is the greatest ever, there is a Jordan expert who says James is the greatest.
Even though this debate will never be over, it does give the sports world something to discuss as we continue to combat the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Although there are no live sports going on, it does give a sense of normalcy to have this debate continue on.