The Lakers did it!
After economic lockdowns, no fans in the stadium and stuck in a bubble, Lebron James and the Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA Championship last night.
And you can’t take anything away from them.
Bubble, no bubble. Injuries, no injuries. It’s all the same. The Lakers are the champs and there is no asterisks beside their title.
But let’s not kid ourselves.
MJ is still the GOAT and will be for a while longer. Here’s why that’s an undisputed fact.
Six-Time Champion
That’s it.
Lebron has now won a very impressive fourth NBA Championship. That puts him second all time for NBA titles, behind only Michael Jordan.
And that’s where the comparisons come in. Who is better, MJ or Lebron?
When someone who just won their fourth title in 17 seasons steps to the mic and says “I want my damn respect too” you quickly realize who the GOAT is – not him.
For one, respect isn’t given, it’s earned. And Lebron has earned it. So why cry about it? It’s because he isn’t the GOAT and never will be. That’s why he makes it a point to mention it and stay in the limelight.
Even though he won the MVP again, he will never be able to overcome the title of being the greatest of all time (GOAT).
And that’s because of two things.
It Takes Time
For one, he couldn’t catch Jordan’s six rings in the same amount of time. Lebron has already played two more seasons and has two fewer rings.
Now, if Lebron is able to go on and win it the next two seasons, and be the MVP of those games too, then we can come back to who is the GOAT.
But even then, it would have taken Lebron 19 years to accomplish something Jordan did in 13 seasons – that’s when he won his last of the six.
So it would take Lebron several more seasons than MJ, and that’s why he simply will never catch up.
Staying Together is Better
Second is how he had to trade teams and all-star players to string together his accomplishments.
I know people try to give Lebron more credit for doing it with different teams and players and being a vocal voice in the community, but give me a break. What MJ did, doing it with one team, is far harder to keep together – otherwise Lebron would just stay put and stop chasing the next greatest player in the league to team up with.
Just look at The Last Dance drama to see for yourself. There’s was drama at every level in the Bulls organization. But MJ stuck it out, had the leadership to pull his team together, and make his way to six titles in six Finals appearances.
The extra credit goes to keeping a team together, not breaking up and moving on – same in life. Leaving is always the easy way out.
Not to mention MJ was more of a jack of all trades. Lebron plays basketball. That’s basically it so far. He has done some TV and so did MJ – Space Jam.
But MJ also retired from the NBA in his prime and played professional baseball. That’s insane. He gambles. Plays golf. Is a smart business man. Lebron is getting paid way more than MJ ever did, but MJ was one of the biggest shoe deals with Nike to exist. His jumpman logo still gets him royalties today.
Now he is the owner of the Charlotte Bobcats, just became a part owner in NASCAR. This guy is doing it all, on and off the court.
Lebron has some big shoes to fill once he hangs it up in the NBA.
Look, Lebron is good. No, he is great. But he is not the GOAT.
That still stands with Jordan.
And will until another all-star can accomplish the feat of six NBA titles and six MVPs in just 15 seasons.
There’s no discussion about it. It just is what it is.
That’s all for today.
I have our four Elite Daily Bets later today. If you want our picks, click here to get a great offer today.
That’s all for today.
You can always reach us by sending an email to ryan@dailysportsbets.com.
Keep the conversation going. Tweet us at @theonlydsb to let us who you are taking tonight.
To profitable bets,
Ryan
CEO, Daily Sports Bets
