LeBron James and Michael Jordan; two men separated by time,
yet, united by greatness. One still currently playing, the other a memory. One
with a defined body of work, the other we have projections. Yet, somehow people
are constantly either trying to defend, or impose, the superiority of one over
the other without realizing that there is no universally-accepted definition as
to WHAT exactly is “greatness.” Instead, greatness is an emotion we as fans
experience, regardless of how much we try to prove this with statistics.
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| Unfortunately, we will never see this so all we have left with is comparing memories. |
Everything about being a sports fan is solely based on emotion; the pain, the joy, the loyalty, commitment, and the sense of purpose. Emotions we then warp into memories that shape narratives we never forget. For instance, “The Last Shot” wasn’t just an important shot to win the NBA finals, something many other players have done ; No, THAT shot was confirmation of greatness. His pose while he soaked-in the moment forever engraved in our memory.
Thus at its core, who is “The Greatest” is purely emotional
decision, and LeBron’s continued ascent to Jordan’s claim as the GOAT is in
reality an assault to the memory of millions of people. A task we cannot measure since Jordan is more than just a basketball legend to many; he’s a hero
and a childhood icon. Not to mention, a reminder that their childhood kicked
ass with “I want to be like Mike” serving as a childhood slogan, not just an advertising campaign.
We all want to think that everything related to our
childhood was the best, the food, the people, the “way things were.” This is
why I cringe at the sight of a 13 year old kid wearing skinny jeans without
realizing that the Dickies pants I wore with one leg rolled up were just as ridiculous
to the older folks then. In our own distorted memories, our childhoods kicked
ass and are superior to anyone else’s. We do this not because we are
malicious, but rather because we are human. Thus begging the question, does
LeBron have the ability, or the platform, to convince millions of people to
love him more than Jordan? Not sure. Just like I’m not sure there is a quantifiable
amount of indisputable evidence that can convince an 8 year old kid that their
dad really isn't a Super Hero. But don't be that 8 year old. Save yourself the agony and stress that comes from picking one player over the other.
If you are a fan of basketball, the absolute best approach you can make is not to compare one to the other, instead just accept that both players are “great.” This appreciation will help you avoid falling into the irrational world us sports fans suffer with; the world where we attach an emotional reservoir to the statistics that confirm the narratives we love, and ignore the ones that done. Avoid expecting that other people believe the same narrative you do. Avoid the anger that comes from having to defend your childhood or demolishing someone else. But most importantly, enjoy the moment of watching a great player provide us with memories we will cherish, memories that we will one day use to build a narrative that describes his greatness.
In the meantime, just remember that "Sometimes I dream, that he is. You've got to see that's how I dream to be...."
If you are a fan of basketball, the absolute best approach you can make is not to compare one to the other, instead just accept that both players are “great.” This appreciation will help you avoid falling into the irrational world us sports fans suffer with; the world where we attach an emotional reservoir to the statistics that confirm the narratives we love, and ignore the ones that done. Avoid expecting that other people believe the same narrative you do. Avoid the anger that comes from having to defend your childhood or demolishing someone else. But most importantly, enjoy the moment of watching a great player provide us with memories we will cherish, memories that we will one day use to build a narrative that describes his greatness.
In the meantime, just remember that "Sometimes I dream, that he is. You've got to see that's how I dream to be...."
