Fans react to Richard Jefferson’s comments about LeBron James and Michael Jordan (Image credits: @NBATV/X @kingjames/Instagram)
A former teammate of LeBron James, Richard Jefferson, compared the current LA Lakers team to Michael Jordan’s Washington Wizards squad. According to Jefferson, there’s too much pressure on James to win a title at this point in his career. He compared him to Jordan’s stint with the Wizards, where the team didn’t achieve much because he didn’t have help.
However, RJ also shared that the six-time champion didn’t have a teammate like Anthony Davis during his days in Washington. Even with that, the 2016 champion believes that expecting James to win the title is a bit unfair.
“Too much pressure on LeBron… we look at the defending champions, the Boston Celtics. The Lakers are three All-Star caliber players away from being on their level,” Jefferson said.
Jefferson’s comments didn’t sit well with fans. Many fans still believe that James has more in store at this stage of his career compared to MJ’s. Here are some of what they had to say.
“Lebron is still a top 5-10 player in the league. Jordan was nowhere NEAR Lebron’s current level when he was on the wizards,” one fan said.
“Except that’s not true lebron is still better than the best player on the Celtics mj was nowhere near as good as prime Shaq,” another fan said.”
Mj Wizards was Washed Lebron isn’t,” a fan pointed out.
Jordan’s fans came out to defend the Chicago Bulls legend.
“MJ was in the MVP talks. Not the same,” one fan argued.
“People are saying Jordan is washed on the wizards while Jordan still average 20 ppg,” another fan brought up MJ’s stats.
“MJ didn’t have player like AD,” a fan said.
Comparing the stats of a 39-year-old LeBron James to a 39-year-old Michael Jordan
LeBron James has impressed his fans with his longevity and ability to still play at an elite level. Although he’s 39, his age doesn’t show with the way he plays. Last season, he managed to put up 25.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 8.3 assists. James also shot 41% from the 3-point area, which is his best efficiency.
Jordan, on the other hand, did his best to entertain the crowd during his time with the Wizards. In his final season, he put up 20.0 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists. He shot 44.5% of his shots from the field that year.
Comparing the stats from both players, James has the better numbers. Also, he has the better team as he’s teammates with Anthony Davis, a Defensive Player of the Year candidate player. Jordan, meanwhile, had Jerry Stackhouse as his best teammate. The five-time MVP also failed to lead the Wizards to the postseason in his two-year stay.
