Former Houston Rockets legendary center Hakeem Olajuwon had high marks for the Chicago Bulls all-time great Michael Jordan in the GOAT debate.
The ongoing GOAT debate between the Chicago Bulls legendary shooting guard Michael Jordan and the Los Angeles Lakers superstar and reigning NBA Champion LeBron James got its latest contribution this week. The former Houston Rockets Hall-of-Fame center and 12-time NBA All-Star selection Hakeem Olajuwon gave his take on the GOAT debate between Jordan and LeBron in an interview with CNBC this week.
Olajuwon stated what most Bulls fans would find obvious, that Jordan is the better player than LeBron as it stands now. This is not an opinion that everyone is going to share, especially among the younger NBA fans that grew up during the LeBron generation. But there is plenty of support to the fact that Jordan holds the edge over LeBron right now.
This debate really isn’t all that relevant, and the players aren’t too comparable in a realistic sense, until LeBron’s playing days in the NBA are over. He does have a real chance to get at least one more title before he calls it quits, but LeBron is aging and will have a difficult road ahead to get to the mark of titles that Jordan did during the dynasty years with the Bulls.
Here’s more on what Olajuwon had to say on this subject regarding the GOAT debate (dialogue thanks to The Basketball Network).
"When people start comparing him with Jordan, then that’s not a fair comparison. Jordan was a far more superior player in a very tough league, and he was very creative. That’s not taking away anything from LeBron because he is a great player, but it is not a fair comparison because Jordan is a far superior player."
Olajuwon had a bit more of a favoring to Jordan over LeBron in a way in which most other current and former NBA stars do not. It’s nice to see the respect that he has for Jordan, despite his Rockets not getting to play those great Bulls team in any NBA Finals in the 1990’s.
Both Jordan and Olajuwon were two of the most accomplished players in the NBA from the 1990’s. The former of the two was a 14-time NBA All-Star selection, six-time champ, 10-time scoring champ, and six-time Finals MVP. Olajuwon is a two-time NBA Champion, two-time Defensive Player of the Year, 12-time All-NBA Team selection, and three-time blocks champ.
LeBron just got his fourth career title during the 2019-20 campaign. He also got his fourth career NBA Finals MVP. He’s on a really good pace, but has a ways to go before he can match the likes of Jordan.