Stay Connected
Atlanta Black Star/Sports
Sports

Dwyane Wade Ranks Michael Jordan Above LeBron … At Least For Now

Posted byBy John Hollis | Published on: CommentsComments (0)

Dwayne Wade says there’s Michael Jordan and then everybody else.

For now anyway.

The Miami Heat star weighed his words carefully on Thursday when asked if teammate LeBron James warranted consideration in Air Jordan’s lofty stratosphere.

“I don’t know if [James] has the ability to surpass [Jordan] or not,” Wade told ESPNChicago.com. “That’s yet to be seen. My version as LeBron being on par with Michael is this: They’re both on the golf course. Michael’s on the 18th hole; LeBron is somewhere on like the fourth hole. He’s got a long way to go, but he’s on par to get to the 18th hole.”

An eight-time NBA All-Star in his own right, Wade went on to laud the tremendous blend of speed, size and overall athleticism that has made James the unquestioned best player in the world today.

But added that there was just one MJ.

“Michael Jordan is the greatest player of all time, so that’s who everyone shoots for,” he said. “So it’s going to be hard to surpass that.”

Wade’s measured comments contrasted from those of a week ago, when he committed heresy in the eyes of some by saying that James, the three-time NBA MVP, had reached the same rarified air in which Jordan is held.

An eight-time NBA All-Star and former league scoring champion in 2008, the 27-year-old James capped an amazing year earlier this month by leading Team USA to the gold medal at the London Olympic Games. The achievement came on the heels of third MVP award, his first NBA championship and an NBA Finals MVP award.

Jordan was also 27 when he won the first of his six NBA championships.

The two players are the ones to ever claim league MVP trophies, NBA team championships and Olympic gold medals in the same year.

James averaged 27.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game for the Heat last season.

Democracy needs journalism it can trust.

This election season, the stakes are higher than usual — and so is the pressure on newsrooms to soften their coverage, stay quiet, or just disappear. Independent reporting, the kind that answers to readers instead of advertisers or political pressure, matters more in a moment like this, not less.

For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed independent and reader-funded. We have no corporate owner and no shareholders telling us what to cover or how to cover it. That independence is also our biggest vulnerability: nothing protects it except readers choosing to fund it directly.

Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under in a moment like this, it's rarely the independent, reader-funded ones that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Give once Give monthly Support another way

Related Stories

Back to top