LeBron James' ex-teammate perfectly settled the Michael Jordan GOAT debate with 'fear' comment
A former teammate of LeBron James has already stated a clear reason for his choice when naming the greatest of all time (GOAT).
James, 40, and Michael Jordan are often compared when basketball’s goat debate is mentioned with the likes of Kobe Bryant and Steph Curry also in the conversation.
But very few people get the chance to play alongside the aforementioned players, however, two-time NBA championship winner Mario Chalmers shared a dressing room with James during their time at the Miami Heat.
“Look, I played 10 years in the league,” Chalmers said when speaking on ‘Above The Rim with DH 12’ earlier this month.
Advert
He then went on to name Jordan over James when discussing who the greatest out of the duo was.
“I was on two teams,” he added. “I played against 450 different players over that time. And when you talk to people—guys I played with, guys who played before me—they all say the same thing.
“With Jordan? It was fear. They called him ‘Black Jesus.’ They called him ‘Black Cat.’ There was a different stigma that came with playing against MJ. That’s just not the same with Bron.
“Now, don’t get it twisted—Bron’s the best overall player you could want as a superstar. Physically gifted, can do everything on the court. But my GOAT? The guy I’d want to live and die within a big moment? That’s Jordan. That’s just me.”
Chalmers previously made similar remarks about LeBron in March 2023.
"Nobody fears Bron," Chalmers said when speaking on 'In Shambles' podcast. "Nobody's like 'Damn, 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."
Of course, there is no correct answer when naming the greatest player of all time, as this can depend entirely on what style, era or even statistics you consider to carry more weight when settling the debate.
However, Shaquille O'Neal agreed that he has "never really heard any player say they feared LeBron".
"I've heard players say, including myself, 'I feared Mike [Jordan]," O'Neal said when speaking on 'The Big Podcast' in 2024.
"I've heard players in [Chalmers'] generation say they feared Kobe.
"I've never really heard any player say they feared LeBron."
Topics: Lebron James, Michael Jordan, NBA, Basketball, Shaquille ONeal
Luke Davies