Warriors’ Steve Kerr calls LeBron James the ‘greatest athlete in human history’

LeBron James has gone about his business in prime fashion against the Houston Rockets, emerging as the series’ best player thus far in the absence of Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic, both out with injuries. At the age of 41, James has averaged 26.6 points, 9.3 rebounds and 8.6 assists per game while shooting at 47.3% overall.

And for Steve Kerr, who played with Michael Jordan during the second three-peat with the Chicago Bulls (1996-99), that is enough evidence to brand him the greatest athlete in human history, per his interview with The New Yorker.

“LeBron’s brilliance doesn’t lie in the same skill set that Michael’s did. It lies in more of a holistic game where he dominates with his pace and his athleticism and his passing. I’ve always felt scoring is secondary for LeBron, but he’s the greatest scorer in the history of the N.B.A.!” he said.

However, he went on to make an important point of differentiation between the two players, claiming that Jordan had a killer instinct that LeBron may not have.

“Some of that is longevity: he’s a machine. I mean, I think he’s literally the greatest athlete on the face of the planet and in the course of human history. Playing with Michael, I saw the killer instinct, the emotional dominance he had over not only the other team but the officials, the entire arena. I don’t see that with LeBron,” he said.

That is understandable. While Jordan was a pure scorer, LeBron is arguably the better playmaker, and his strengths extend to his vision and passing as well. That appears to be true for Kerr as well, although he had some huge praise for MJ.

“So they’re different, as far as the emotional part of it. Everybody came into a series against Michael knowing they were going to lose. There’s never been anybody like that. Maybe Bill Russell. But I’ve never felt the same way on a basketball floor as I did with Michael,” he said.

Of course, the GOAT debate will go on for a long time even after James eventually hangs up his boots. The 41-year-old, however, will be more concerned about winning games, something he still appears to be doing just fine.