The comparisons between the greats of the game always make the off-court life more exciting. One of the key focuses of player comparisons in modern times has been Michael Jordan and LeBron James. A recent surge of LBJ’s old comments on Jordan divided the NBA fans into two yet again.

With the 38-year-old’s words from 14 years back surfacing on social media, the debate took a new direction. The supporters started to take sides again, and an argument began, again.

What did LeBron James say about Michael Jordan?

Back in 2009, LeBron demanded the NBA to retire Michael Jordan’s jersey in the league. He reportedly stated, “I think his number shouldn’t be worn by any player in the NBA”. As he himself was wearing a number 23 shirt during that time, he said, “I’m going to change my number next year”.

The NBA very recently decided that Bill Russell’s iconic #6 Jersey would be retired League Wide, to honor him after his passing. Had LeBron had his way, however, MJ’s iconic 23 would’ve been the first number to be in every Stadium’s rafters. Understanding that the league would not change the logo, the then-Cleveland Cavaliers star demanded this. The 19-time All-Star kept his word as he changed his shirt number to 6 when he joined the Miami Heat the following year.

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The fanboy within him got the best of him that time around. The Los Angeles Lakers Star changed his number back to 23 later in his career, purely out of his love and admiration for the Chicago Bulls legend. His past remarks came to the limelight all these years later, and the results were up to the expectations.

History repeats itself

Just like all the MJ-LBJ debates, the NBA fans took sides as soon as the comments resurfaced. This time around, it was a bit one-sided, with the six-time champion getting more praise and affirmation.

One fan promptly commented, “That means Jordan is better than Lebron,” to spark the argument. Another reiterated the point stating, “See even Lebron admits MJ is the goat”. A few supporters mocked LeBron for shifting to number 23 again. They commented, “A man is only as good as his word” and “But here is going back to wearing 23”. 

The wind of the debate changed at times, with a handful of fans mocking Jordan to idolize LeBron. “I’d score 40 against MJ if I wanted to,” one NBA lover said to diminish the 60-year-old’s achievements. Another commented, “Lebron’s 23 is more iconic than JorGambler’s 23,” with a similar intention.

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These online wars seem to be a never-ending cycle in this era of the game. In the midst of all of this, we must not overlook the mutual respect among the greats. So, this can be best concluded with an iconic fan comment, “Real recognizes real”.