“You could have had a lot of flaws in the 90s” Colin Cowherd suggests LeBron James would be less criticized if he played in Michael Jordan-era
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LeBron James and Michael Jordan
When we talk about the GOATs of basketball, there are generally two names that pops-up in every individual’s mind – Michael Jordan and LeBron James. Both are sensational athletes on the court and have very illustrations careers. While LeBron James vs. Michael Jordan debate is likely one that will ensue until the end of time, the criticism both players had in their respective time on the court is very different. Michael Jordan also had flaws and still was less cooked for it, on the other hand, LeBron James is playing in an era, where the media has more eyes and say over any of his misconducts on or off the basketball court.
In the GOAT debate, despite everything James has done in his twenty-year career, many still feel he will never be able to surpass the Iconic Chicago Bulls megastar. Part of what will always give Michael Jordan a slight edge is that he came first in the league. With his playing style and game, he became the first true mega-star in professional sports. That set the tone and benchmark for next-generation players like LeBron James to reach similar highs in their game.
Colin Cowherd considers Michael Jordan lucky to play in ’90s
Well, game-wise there are no questions about 6-time NBA Champion Jordan’s abilities on the Basketball court. He would dominate the game at will and has demonstrated the same in his career. But recently, Fox Sports Colin Cowherd looked at this debate from a different angle – the media coverage. Looking back on it now, he feels Michael Jordan would have a tougher time now than he did during the nineties, with the media more involved in athlete’s activities.
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Colin pointed out the same thing as he said, “History would be much more favorable to LeBron. Not that he’ll be criticized, but he would be far less criticized if he played when Jordan did and Jordan played now, Jordan would be pummeled… Michael is he was kind of fortunate. You could have a lot of flaws in the 90s. Am I wrong on that?”
Colin Cowherd gave some examples like Jordan’s scuffles with teammates, gambling before games, and his multiple retirements – which would have been heavily targeted by today’s media. Talent-wise there are no doubts regarding Jordan’s performances even in today’s era, however, he certainly might be viewed from different angles by the media.
Even now after his retirement, MJ’s documentary, ‘The Last Dance’ also was viewed in a different light. The iconic series had a lot of praises in the 90s and even now, but in the current media era, people caught a glimpse of how tough he was to be around at points. If some of the stuff that went down then happened now, fans might not see him in a similar light.
With technology, the internet, and social media, star athletes are under a microscope more than ever before. Their lives are not personal anymore and almost everything they do and say is out there for the world to see. Back when Jordan played, stars still had some separation with the fans, and if Colin’s point is believed, Jordan particularly had “a bubble” protection around him from his sorcerers and his own aura.
If the media had similar control in 90’ Jordan might have been denounced in many instances. Retiring multiple times might have also been a bigger story, his gambling love, giving a try to baseball, and not living up to his status of “unbeatable” in MLB are some of the points MJ would have to answer.
Jordan and LeBron James are two of the greatest basketball players the game has ever seen – winners of multiple championships and finals MVP Awards with many personal accolades to go with. But they walked completely different paths off the court. The Bulls star might not have been pummeled today as Cowherd said, but things certainly would have been different. But he gets some media reactions “as Owner” of poor performing Charlotte Hornets.
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Kunal Chawda
(600 Articles Published)