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 Since LeBron James entered the NBA in 2003, we have all compared him to the greatest ever, Michael Jordan.
It seemed that James invited these comparisons by wearing the number 23 and by embracing his nickname "King James." However, he has veered away from that comparison over the past few years by teaming up with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami, changing his number to 6, and by becoming a facilitator instead of a scorer. While James has veered away from the MJ comparison, we, the spectators, have continued to compare him to the best player ever. LeBron has teased us with a few great performances in the clutch but then shies away from that light in other games. Every time he shies away, we criticize him. It is time we abandon the MJ comparison. It is foolish for us to compare him to such a great player when James doesn't want to be that great player. Even though he can be as dominant as he wants, he just doesn't want to. Instead, he wants to pass. He wants to get other teammates involved. That's why we compare him to Magic Johnson. James has the size and the passing ability to be Magic. However, Magic still had that killer instinct that he displayed in his path to winning five NBA championships. In his first NBA finals, Magic took over Game 6 against the Philadelphia 76ers starting at center—he scored 42 points, grabbing 15 rebounds, dishing 7 assists without Kareem. Another shining moment he had was when he hit that marvelous baby hook against the Celtics in the 1987 NBA Finals. Magic was clutch when he had to be clutch. He scored when his team needed him. He had the killer instinct that LeBron still hasn't shown us in the NBA Finals. Who can we compare LeBron James to? No one. He is his own strange, special, and even tragic player. That's what makes him one of the most fascinating players in NBA history.
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