Five is certainly bigger than three, but 11 is a number that will never be topped
We are getting into the dark days of the NBA offseason, and the inevitable LeBron James or Kobe Bryant debate is beginning, and no one will be able to ignore it after Michael Jordan chimed in (Via NBA.com).
Now, when you look at what the actual player does on the court, then there is really no point in even discussing James or Bryant because that has been settled since 2007. But, that is not enough for Jordan to rank James higher, instead he uses a different standard
Jordan brings up a valid point, the number five is certainly bigger than the number three. The point of the game is to win championships, so how could we possibly argue with the mathematically sound logic.
That same logic and the same math also reveals Jordan’s true feelings about the greatest player in the history of basketball. In fact, Jordan has humbled himself in ways I did not think was possible.
More from Hardwood Houdini
- Boston Celtics’ two-way contract decision will be made after training camp
- Proposed trade sends Boston Celtics playoff killer to the Cs from rival
- ‘Face of Germany’s stunning run’ in FIBA World Cup not the only ex-Boston Celtics player to win gold
- Proposed Boston Celtics trade target pitched for reunion with fired coach
- Battle For Banner 18: Will Boston Celtics battle historical foe in 2024 Finals?
Jordan has officially confirmed that 11 time champion Bill Russell is the unquestioned greatest player of all time. Five is bigger than three and 11 is bigger than anything anyone has ever done before, meaning Jordan has implied that Russell is twice as much better than him, than Bryant is to James, at least when it comes to ranking players on an all time list.
Although, Jordan did open the window for James. The only one of these players who may add to their championship total is James. The Golden State Warriors are standing in his way, but James has some time to catch up to Bryant.
Jordan, on the other hand, appears to have admitted that seven will never be greater than 11. When you take into account that Russell got those 11 in 13 seasons, it becomes clearer and clearer that Russell’s accomplishments in basketball are so far unmatched, that we probably should not be debating who the GOAT is, we should be debating who the GOAT other than Russell is.
When you dip deeper, the case is only heightened. Russell never had an individual teammate as good as Shaq or Pippen or Wade, and he was the one to take down the original super team big three in Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor.
So you can throw around all your playing against plumbers and less teams in the league arguments all you want. The numbers simply do not lie in the eyes of Jordan, and Russell has the ultimate deciding factor by an insurmountable margin.
Next: What the Mitchel Robinson Saga Means for Boston
The only problem is that this means the end of all these debates. nobody will ever get to 11 championship again and if you are trusting the logic and math or Jordan is comparing Bryant and James, not only is the debate over, but there hasn’t even been another player worth discussing since 1969.