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If you’re trying to think of arguments in favor of why Michael Jordan is the GOAT and LeBron James is not, you might note that people feared MJ.
So many players, like Steve Nash, have come out and said that they feared playing against Jordan. According to John Salley, who played alongside MJ while on the Bulls, “everybody” was afraid of Jordan.
Jordan imposed fear in the hearts of his own teammates, said former Bulls big Jud Buechler (via ESPN):
“People were afraid of him … We were his teammates, and we were afraid of him. And there was just fear. The fear factor of MJ was so, so thick.”
You’ll hear the same thing about matching up against Kobe Bryant. NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant and NBA champion Richard Hamilton have said as much.
“Nobody fears LeBron” – @mchalmers15 😳
Check out more of our exclusive interview with Mario Chalmers: https://t.co/JKHxbCCYPq pic.twitter.com/778diZFxK8
— Playmaker (@playmaker) March 18, 2023
But according to Mario Chalmers, the same cannot be said about LeBron. Chalmers played alongside LeBron in Miami and the two didn’t exactly get along. Here is what Chalmers recently said (via Playmaker):
“Nobody fears Bron. Nobody’s like ‘[expletive] I gotta go play against Bron tonight.’ Nobody said that. I don’t know why. Because I seen people be scared when they actually lined up to him but they’re not scared thinking about that matchup, right? You hear anybody from that era talk about going against Jordan, there’s a fear. So when you have people that fear a player, then that’s telling you something different already. Like, Jordan is just that guy.”
But is that true? Shaquille O’Neal, who said he was terrified of Michael Jordan, said that players respect LeBron but do not fear him.
Longtime Celtics star Paul Pierce said that guys in his era “weren’t afraid” of LeBron and former NBA All-Star Antonio Davis said that there is “no fear” when playing against LeBron as well.
Back in 2017, before he faced the Cavaliers in the playoffs, Boston’s Jaylen Brown said that he wasn’t scared of LeBron James and said that the superstar was just a “regular guy” to him. Dion Wright, who plays professional basketball overseas, matched up against during a Pro-Am game. He said he wasn’t afraid, either.
But there are opposing voices, too. Kendrick Perkins confessed that he was so scared to play against Cleveland in 2008 that he literally prayed something bad would happen to LeBron during practice.
A follow-up from JJ on fearing @KingJames pic.twitter.com/irj8kB52x3
— TheOldMan&TheThree (@OldManAndThree) November 24, 2021
JJ Redick got into a heated debate with Stephen A. Smith on the same topic, and he shared his thoughts:
“There’s certainly a level of respect. But for the fear factor, if you get into a playoff series with LeBron, if you’re prepping to play LeBron, you’re certainly fearful of who he is as a player. Physically, I took a charge on LeBron my fifth year in Orlando. I caught his spin move perfectly. I ended up with 11 stitches under my eye.”
Redick said that he was standing there and knew LeBron was going to make that spin move, and still, he was fearful. The longtime sharpshooter said that James commands a certain level of fear rivaled only by Stephen Curry.
For what it is worth: Chalmers may not have the best memory. He once claimed he didn’t remember when LeBron yelled at him on the sidelines.
Chalmers also took credit for setting up the possession that led to this iconic photo of LeBron and Dwyane Wade — but he wasn’t even on the court during that moment. If he lied about that, what else might he lie about?
The Tip-Off
NBA content from around the USA TODAY Sports network.
I wrote about the NBA draft prospects who improved their draft stock the most during the opening weekend of March Madness. Here is what you need to know about UCLA’s Amari Bailey:
“He finished the victory with 17 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals. Bailey recorded a game-high 10 “good” possessions, per ShotQuality, the second-most he had ever finished with during his NCAA career thus far.
The freshman had eight layups during the contest, mostly finishing in transition. He leads the tournament in total fast break points scored (13), per CBB Analytics.
UCLA played with a quicker pace (64.8) during the 48 possessions Bailey played relative to the 13 possessions (53.6) he did not, via Pivot Analysis.”
Make sure to check out the full list for more details!
One to Watch
(All odds via Tipico.)
Grizzlies (-4.5, -200) vs. Mavericks (+170), O/U 227.5, 8:00 PM ET
Luka Doncic and Ja Morant are both out while Kyrie Irving is questionable. But this is a huge game for the Mavericks, who would finish as the No. 6 seed and avoid the play-in tournament if the season ended today — but are also in danger of fully missing the playoffs.
Shootaround
— Klay Thompson taunted Dillon Brooks by counting off Golden State’s four titles with his fingers during Memphis’ win
— Michael Jordan required Ben Affleck to cast this Oscar winner to play his mom in Air
— Lakers chose D’Angelo Russell over Mike Conley in the Russell Westbrook trade
— HoopsHype’s Aggregate Mock Draft: Scoot Henderson stays at No. 2, Cam Whitmore moving up