Jeff Van Gundy has a unique way of comparing LeBron James and Michael Jordan: "You can't argue it's not LeBron"
Former New York Knicks player and Golden State head coach Mark Jackson always asks guests on his podcast where they stand on the never-ending GOAT debate.
The same was the case with Jeff Van Gundy, who had to pick between Michael Jordan and LeBron James. But JVG was smart enough to avoid taking sides. Instead, he told Mark that in his book, one guy had the greatest career ever and the other would be his pick to take the last shot with the game on the line.
"I don't think that you can argue that the greatest basketball career to date and still adding to it is LeBron James," Van Gundy said on The Mark Jackson Show. "I just don't think that you can argue that. With all he's been able to accomplish, all the records, and really the longevity is just you know, really an incredible feat."
LeBron's had the best career
It's hard to argue with Van Gundy that LeBron has had the best career in NBA history. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar just finished playing Year 21, and at the age of 39, he still put up 25.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 8.3 assists, and 1.3 steals per game.
King James was named to the All-NBA third team for the third straight season. He now has 20 All-NBA team selections, the most by any player. He was also named to the All-Star team for the 20th time in his career, also an NBA record.
One season ago, James passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA's all-time scoring leader, and he continues to add to his total. Bron even added the first-ever In-Season Tournament championship and MVP to his long list of awards.
The best player to win one game
But while Van Gundy picked LeBron to have the greatest career, he said he would go with Jordan to win one game. JVG mentioned Mike's athleticism, skill, and competitiveness as the reasons why he would pick the Chicago Bulls legend and recalled how impressive MJ was during his comeback.
"He had a double-nickel coming back off baseball, 10 days later against the best defense in basketball, back when the rules were not conducive to offensive play. There was no freedom of movement. There was freedom to get your head handed to you if you came through the wall. He got 55 against the New York Knicks on the road and hit Wennington when we doubled late with a Luka Doncic special," Van Gundy added.
Bron and MJ have always been pitted head-on to determine who is the greatest player ever. But JVG gives another take on this never-ending debate. While it's hard to name one player and simply call him the GOAT, greatness can be measured in many ways.
