Perhaps the most frequent NBA debate of all time has heated up once again.
The argument of who’s the greatest player in the history of Basketball has been argued for years. While the vast majority of fans will plead that Michael Jordan is above the rest, there will always be one group who firmly believes otherwise.
So, if Michael Jordan isn’t the greatest player the NBA has ever seen, who is? Most often, the name that surfaces next is Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James.
According to Dwyane Wade, LeBron’s former teammate in Miami, there isn’t — and never will be — a comparison between the two: Jordan is simply on another level.
“No, it’s not possible,” Wade told ESPN’s Nick Friedell with a laugh, firmly stating nobody can surpass Jordan’s legacy. “It’s not possible”.
Wade did acknowledge that James could tie Jordan’s status as the top player, but that was it. In the mind of Wade, it’s literally impossible to surpass the legend that is Michael Jordan.
“The only thing you can do is tie it,” Wade said. “There’s no 19th hole.”
Wade, who won two NBA championships alongside James in 2012 and 2013, originally believed James had a shot at catching up to Jordan. When asked about the comparisons back in 2012, Wade gave his completely honest opinion (explaining the golf reference above, as well):
“I don’t know if [James] has the ability to surpass him or not,” Wade told ESPN. “That’s yet to be seen. My version as LeBron being on par with Michael is this: They’re both on the golf course. Michael’s on the 18th hole; LeBron is somewhere on like the fourth hole. He’s got a long way to go, but he’s on par to get to the 18th hole.
“I think everyone knows that [James] is a phenomenal, phenomenal player. He’s one that we haven’t seen, with the makeup of a 6-8 guy who runs as fast as any point guard, jumps as high as any center, and has the ability that he has to do so many things. But Michael Jordan is the greatest player of all time, that’s who everyone shoots for. So it’s going to be hard to surpass that.”
For Dwyane Wade, choosing between one of his closest friends in LeBron James and his top idol growing up as a kid in Chicago in Michael Jordan is extremely challenging.
Nonetheless, Wade seems to be siding with the vast majority of those who view Jordan as the absolute top player in league history.
