Former LeBron James Teammate Scoffs at Michael Jordan and GOAT Comparisons After Recent Comments

Eddie House called out LeBron James for his comments after the Wolves eliminated the Lakers, questioning why he's compared to Michael Jordan.

Former LeBron James Teammate Scoffs at Michael Jordan and GOAT Comparisons After Recent Comments

LeBron James and Michael Jordan (Facebook/NBA and TV Tropes)

LeBron James and his Lakers team were widely tipped to be among the best teams in the West after the Luka Doncic trade. The team got off to a promising start in the James-Doncic era, going on a winning streak. They earned a top-3 seed in the West with a game to spare. Many analysts and experts fancied them to win the first two rounds and make a Conference Finals appearance.

However, reality would have something else in store for the most popular NBA team in the world. Despite their home court advantage, the Lakers were played off the floor during clutch moments. They wound up losing the series 4-1. They simply didn’t have the personnel to match up with Anthony Edwards on either end. Despite Doncic’s offensive output, they failed to control the tempo of games for various reasons.

LeBron James, who was held scoreless in 25 consecutive fourth quarter minutes from games 3 to 5, had a predictably somber outlook to their losses. This is the second straight season that James has been dumped out of the playoffs in five games. He failed to take responsibility during his press appearances after the losses as well. Speaking on his podcast, James attributed the loss to the Lakers having less talent.

His words rubbed Eddie House the wrong way. House was a fringe member of the infamous 2010-11 Miami Heat roster, who lost the NBA Finals despite being overwhelming favorites against Dallas. House has an inside track to the mind of LeBron James. He believes that his mindset takes him out of any GOAT talk. The NBC Sports Boston talking head made his feelings clear on the latest episode of Breakfast Ball.

What I don’t like here is he says, ‘He’s not losing any sleep over it.’ That’s not GOAT talk. That’s why Michael Jordan is the GOAT, because Michael Jordan would never go on the air and say ‘I don’t lose sleep over losing’ in the first round, with another superstar on my team. That’s the thing that kinda rubs me the wrong way…I’m tripping off the fact that you wanna consider yourself the GOAT and call yourself the GOAT, and everybody else, all these youngsters out here saying that he’s the GOAT, this is why he’s not the GOAT. It’s for that particular reason right there. He doesn’t lose his sleep over losing.

Eddie House said on Breakfast Ball

Is there a really fair answer to LeBron James vs. Michael Jordan debate?

The way Michael Jordan avoided the pitfalls of constantly being minimized in GOAT conversations was by giving his predecessors all their flowers and more. He acknowledged that he never played the likes of Oscar Robertson, Wilt Chamberlain or Bill Russell. He admitted that he had an advantage in training, by way of better salaries and facilities for his teammates, and respected them for their contributions to the game.

LeBron James, meanwhile, is often found guilty of trying to push narratives. He was among the first people to openly call himself the GOAT, and he also has many friends in the media who do the same. James’ GOAT push has felt inorganic because while his play often could rival other players in the conversation, his winning and his individual accolades don’t quite stack up to the competition.

James doesn’t have the DPOY trophy like Jordan, or six Finals MVPs, or 10 scoring titles. He has, at best, one dynastic run, and that was during the much-hated Miami Heat era. He also doesn’t have a signature playtype or playing style, and he isn’t exactly a prototype for other players to follow. That’s where his legacy lies behind even the likes of Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant or Stephen Curry, not to mention Jordan.

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