LeBron James has finally reached a place where he can rightfully be compared to Michael Jordan and many of the other NBA greats, and he is humbled by the comparison.
After the Indiana Pacers lost to the Miami Heat in the playoffs Saturday for the third season in a row, head coach Frank Vogel tried putting things in perspective by comparing LeBron to MJ.
“It’s bitterly disappointing to lose to this team three years in a row, but we’re competing against the Michael Jordan of our era, the Chicago Bulls of our era,” said Vogel vua USA Today.
The comparison isn’t at all off. The Bulls went to three straight finals twice during the ’90s, winning all six thanks to Jordan and company. Since LeBron went to Miami and teamed up with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, the Heat have reached the finals every season. This is their fourth straight trip and they are looking to win it all for a third straight year.
“Any time I hear my name or our team in the same breath with legends and great teams and franchises, it’s so humbling,” James said when told of Vogel’s comparison. “It’s like – I really don’t know.”
Wade is from Chicago and James has always been a big MJ fan.
“Me and (Heat star Dwyane Wade) grew up watching the great Chicago Bulls team and the great Michael Jordan and the rest of those guys,” James said Saturday.
“To be able to play the game that we love at a high level for one another, for our teammates, it’s the ultimate,” James said. “When you hear the comparisons, you respect it. You’re humbled by it.”
If James is able to lead his team to a third straight championship, he will be in even more elite company than he is already. Once he gets a third ring, everything else he does will be for show, for history, and to add onto his already impeccable resume. He really is the MJ of his time and the Heat are putting together a Bulls-like run. Still, I think the Spurs have the better team this year. It should be a great finals.
