In the never-ending debate over the NBA’s GOAT, NBA reporter Michelle Beadle said Thursday that Michael Jordan still has the edge over LeBron James.
The debate between “King James” and “MJ” — which Beadle said will “go with us to all of our graves” — has been renewed recently as the Los Angeles Lakers superstar approaches Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record.
Following his 28-point triple-double in an overtime win over the New York Knicks on Tuesday, James is 89 points from passing Abdul-Jabbar’s mark of 38,387 regular-season points.
“For me, Michael Jordan’s number one, and I think that championships (won) is a big part of that,” Beadle said during an interview with Yardbarker.
“Now I have heard people say that LeBron passing this record and perhaps getting another ring or two — although we’re up against the clock here — then perhaps. But again, it’s such a personal preference. It just depends on what you think carries more weight.”
Now in his 20th season, James has made the NBA Finals 10 times, but has gone just 4-6 in the championship round. Jordan played 15 NBA seasons and went 6-0 in the Finals.
James, who turned 38 in December, told reporters after the win against the Knicks that he’s going to “be in this league for at least a few more years.”
Many NBA experts are expecting James to stick around at least through the 2024-25 season, giving him a chance to play with his eldest son, Bronny. But if the four-time MVP plays for “at least a few more years” that would mean playing into his 40s.
James, a 19-time All-Star, became the highest-earning player in NBA history when he signed a two-year, $97.1 million contract extension with Los Angeles last summer. That deal included a player option for the 2024-25 campaign.
The four-time NBA champion is having another huge season, as he leads the NBA in field goals made per game (career-high 11.6), is seventh in points per game (30.2) and is tied for 10th in assists per contest (7.1).
Regarding the GOAT debate, Beadle said: “I can make stats look like anything I want them to look like. I can be for or against something and I can make the stats reflect that. So for me it’s always Michael Jordan number one, but it’s not to say that LeBron’s not a close two.”
A former ESPN reporter, Beadle co-hosts “Run it Back” on FanDuel TV alongside Eddie Gonzalez, Shams Charania and former NBA forward Chandler Parsons.
Beadle previously hosted ESPN’s “NBA Countdown” from 2016 -2019 and said that while she was with the WWL, James tried to get her fired from her job.
