Bill Laimbeer is providing an interesting take on the NBA’s GOAT debate.
Appearing Tuesday on ESPN’s “First Take,” the former Detroit Pistons star said that LeBron James, not Michael Jordan, is the greatest player of all-time.
“I’m very vocal, I think LeBron is the best player that has ever played the game,” said Laimbeer. “He’s 6-foot-8, 285 pounds, runs like the wind, and jumps out of the gym. More importantly, when he came into the league from Day One, he knew how to involve his teammates to win. That’s something Jordan had to learn for a long time.
“Now if you go by championships, obviously Michael Jordan has more championships,” he added. “But I think LeBron in any generation would be doing what he’s doing right now all these years. At the end of the day, I firmly believe that he is the best basketball player in the history of the game.”
Laimbeer, of course, did battle with Jordan for many years in the Eastern Conference as a member of the “Bad Boys” Pistons, the team that developed the notorious “Jordan Rules” defensive strategy. The four-time All-Star Laimbeer was one of the most hated players on that squad for his physical, oftentimes dirty play, so it’s safe to say that him and Jordan weren’t exactly the closest of friends.
Other retired players have gone a different way when it comes to that debate, but it is worth wondering how much of Laimbeer’s perspective is out of respect for James and how much is out of disdain for Jordan.
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