Colin Cowherd's LeBron James GOAT argument analogy with Law & Order gets checked by MLB veteran: "Pete Rose has more hits than Ted Williams"
Former MLB veteran Jerry Hairston Jr. slammed Colin Cowherd's argument for picking LeBron James as the greatest of all time over Michael Jordan. Cowherd's opinion was based on longevity. He used a "Law & Order" analogy in a segment on his podcast, "Herd w/Colin Cowherd," during Thursday's episode.
"Michael Jordan was more like Seinfeld — 9 great years, highly impactful and still discussed today. LeBron's become Law & Order. We're on year 35. I watched an episode two days ago, it still crushes," Cowherd said.
Cowherd's comments were fueled by 39-year-old James recording a third straight triple-double on Wednesday against the Grizzlies, breaking his own record from five years ago as the oldest player to achieve the feat.
However, Hairston Jr. came up with an MLB analogy, referencing career comparisons of Pete Rose and Ted Williams to counter Cowherd's GOAT argument.
"Pete Rose has more hits than Ted Williams. No one in baseball thinks Rose was a better hitter than Williams. Longevity is nice but no reasonable person uses it as a deciding factor on who was better. #SMH"
Rose played 24 seasons and connected on 4,256 hits with a .303 batting average. Meanwhile, Williams played 19 seasons and had 2,564 hits with a .344 batting average.
The comparison checks out for LeBron James and Michael Jordan's contrasting careers. The Lakers star is in year 22 and has numerous individual records, including the NBA's all-time scoring record and a top 10 ranking in assists. He has four titles, four league MVPs and four finals MVPs.
On the other hand, Jordan had six titles, five MVPs and six finals MVPs in 15 seasons. He also won the Defensive Player of the Year, which James never did. Jordan also leads the league in points per game all-time, averaging 30.1.
LeBron James' consistency fuels the GOAT argument in his favor against Michael Jordan
LeBron James can still be the best player on the floor on most nights, and that's what allows his fans and some analysts to fuel the GOAT debate in his favor. It's the same thing Colin Cowherd based his opinion on. Michael Jordan wasn't this consistent or as healthy as James towards his career's end after the championship seasons with the Chicago Bulls.
He wasn't close to contending when he was on the Washington Wizards and struggled individually, too. Jordan had a few vintage performances, but it didn't happen often. With James, that's the key difference. Even in year 22, he's continued to be the Lakers' backbone, even if Anthony Davis has undeniably been the team's best player.
After recording a fourth straight triple-double on Friday against the Spurs, LeBron James once again gave his fans and believers more ammunition to hail his GOAT case against Michael Jordan.