Skip to content

Lillard: People won't say someone's better than MJ, even if it's true

Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

In the past, it was almost considered sacrilege to say any NBA player was in the same league as Michael Jordan. Yet, with the emergence of LeBron James, more and more basketball experts are opening up to the idea that Jordan may, at the very least, have an equal.

During an impromptu Twitter Q-and-A session, Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard was asked if he felt James could ever be considered the greatest of all time, and he hinted at The King perhaps being better than Jordan, while acknowledging such a take would be next to impossible to admit openly:

If the debate simply came down to championships, Jordan would have it in the bag, having gone a perfect 6-for-6 in the Finals with six MVP awards. James, on the other hand, has three rings and an overall record of 3-5.

Jordan vs. James Career Statistics

PLAYER YRS G PPG RPG APG TS% PER
Jordan 15 1072 30.1 6.2 5.3 56.9 27.9
James 14 1061 27.1 7.3 7 58.4 27.6

Jordan himself has even gone as far as saying he feels Kobe Bryant should be ranked higher than James, as The Black Mamba has five championships.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox