Lebron James vs. Michael Jordan

Enough. If I have to hear one more comparison between LeBron James and Michael Jordan, I may be ill. Because at this point, there is no comparison. Is the day coming when those comparison will be justified? Perhaps. But not today. There are a number of traits that he does not posess to date that make the comparison laughable; the most notable is class.

I was not a Michael Jordan fan. Admirer? Dear lord yes. The man was, in a nutshell, the greatest player to ever lace up a pair of basketball shoes. I could write an entire article that would just entail his professional accomplishments. But the one thing that stands out for me is the way he handled himself. Dignity. Respect.

For his teammates… how many times did he show absolute trust in his teammates with the game, or even the season, on the line? We remember his shot to beat Cleveland, to beat Utah. But we also remember Steve Kerr’s shot. We remember John Paxson’s shot. Scottie Pippen rode his coat tails right onto the NBA’s 50 greatest players list.. and never once did he complain, even after he left Chicago.

For his opponents. For the game that made him who he is. Granted, the NBA owes him as much of a debt of gratitude as he does to it. He transcended the league, the game, sports in general. He made the league what it is today.

LeBron…. LeBron posed for imaginary photo shoots before the game. He taunts. When he hit that amazing shot in game two (an amazing shot in its own right) , he actually went on TV and talked about what a great shot it was. Are you serious? And, as the clock expired on the Cavaliers’ season, as the team oriented Orlando Magic advanced to the NBA Finals, he simply left. No congratuulations to the other players… fellow members of a rather exclusive fraternity… a fraternity of men paid millions and millions of dollars to play a game while their fans… those wiithout whom there would be no “King James”… lose their homes. No time for the press, or a word to the disconsolate Cleveland fans who worship him so. Because he’s a ‘competitor’. “It doesn’t make sense to shake his hand” he said. The six championship rings aren’t all michael Jordan has that Lebron James does not. Add a sense of sportsmanship to the list.

So while that isn’t, by any means, his only flaw… the Orlando Magic showed us that rather clearly… it will be his downfall every year until he realizes the truth. He is not Michael Jordan, as much as his overinflated ego tells him to believe. He is, at times on the court, a man amongst boys. But until “King James” grows up, he will simply be a high scoring boy amongst men.