ESPN has been absolutely unbearable this week

In case you haven't been listening to ESPN this week, here's a brief summary of what you've missed:

IS LEBRON JAMES BETTER THAN MICHAEL JORDAN, WHO WOULD WIN IN A ONE-ON-ONE? IS LEBRON JAMES BETTER THAN MICHAEL JORDAN, WHO WOULD WIN IN A ONE-ON-ONE? IS LEBRON JAMES BETTER THAN MICHAEL JORDAN, WHO WOULD WIN IN A ONE-ON-ONE? IS LEBRON JAMES BETTER THAN MICHAEL JORDAN, WHO WOULD WIN IN A ONE-ON-ONE? IS LEBRON JAMES BETTER THAN MICHAEL JORDAN, WHO WOULD WIN IN A ONE-ON-ONE? IS LEBRON JAMES BETTER THAN MICHAEL JORDAN, WHO WOULD WIN IN A ONE-ON-ONE? IS LEBRON JAMES BETTER THAN MICHAEL JORDAN, WHO WOULD WIN IN A ONE-ON-ONE? IS LEBRON JAMES BETTER THAN MICHAEL JORDAN, WHO WOULD WIN IN A ONE-ON-ONE? IS LEBRON JAMES BETTER THAN MICHAEL JORDAN, WHO WOULD WIN IN A ONE-ON-ONE?




This has been bothering me for some time now. I get it, Michael Jordan was great, probably the greatest athlete ever.

I also get that Lebron James is the greatest basketball player playing right now. What he's doing right now is literally historic.

What I don't get is the borderline literal worship of Michael Jordan and why people feel so threatened by Lebron James.

I was alive and conscious at the peak of MJ's stardom, I saw Space Jam, I had the posters, trust me, I know what he was. He surpassed just being a basketball star and made himself into a  household name, your 85 year old grandma knows who Jordan is and probably has a pair of Air Jordans in her closet.

Lebron James had barely made it out of high school before the comparisons started. James fueled the fire by having the 'Chosen One' tattooed across his back. He obviously looked up to MJ, he even took his number when he played in Cleveland.

Then 'The Decision' started and Lebron's reputation when into the shitter.

Fast forward three years and Lebron is one of the most beloved players of any sport, winning will do that, so will historically good play. Seriously, let it go Cleveland fans. He made a mistake, he admits it, just enjoy objective greatness while it's here.

So, this week is Jordan's 50th birthday which also happens to coincide with the historical run that Lebron has been going on. Like I said, comparisons betwen MJ and Lebron have always been there but this week it's reached a fever pitch. Every single show, literally every show, has been asking that same question, "Is LJ better than MJ".

It's a stupid question to begin with. First of all, they play different positions. MJ was primarily a shooting guard while LJ is a forward who can also play other positions, his versatility is part of what makes him so great. Second, they played in different eras. Basketball is so different from when MJ played, players are across the board "better, faster, stronger". Third the NBA wasn't nearly as big as it is now, MJ helped push it (more) into the national spotlight. Fourth, look at who they played with and against. MJ had the likes of Pippen while look at who LJ played with while at Cleveland... You wonder why he left for Miami? Cowherd made a good point, after MJ left Chicago they kept winning, what happened to Cleveland after Lebron left? They've yet to match the wins in two seasons, Lebron gave them in one. That's how valuable Lebron is.

I'm just sick of hearing about the comparisons. It's part of this whole desire of people and the media to rank every single thing. Who's the best quarterback? Who's elite who isn't? Who would you build your team around? Who would win in a cage match to the death? Rank this, and that, and everything else. Why does every single aspect of sports have to placed on a list?

Can we please just focus on how great Lebron is playing right now? You're going to miss what's happening in the present because you're too busy looking back at the past. Let's hold off on comparing him to MJ until we see his entire career.