“I’m gonna take Michael Jordan” - Charles Oakley picks Jordan over LeBron James if given the first pick in a pickup game
The debate on who is the greatest of all time between LeBron James and Michael Jordan will possibly last forever. Both James and Jordan are friends with former NBA player Charles Oakley, who recently made a pick between Jordan and James.
In an interview with Eamon McAnaney of SNY, Oakley was promoting his memoir titled "The Last Enforcer." McAnaney pointed out to Oakley that he knows both James and Jordan personally, putting him in a tough spot. He asked Charles on who he would pick first between "The King" and "His Airness" in a game of pick-up basketball.
"I'm gonna have to take, uh, I'm gonna take Michael Jordan," Oakley responded, albeit with some hesitation.
"It's a hard decision. I mean, it's A1 and A2. I know Michael the longest and LeBron grew up around knowing him and got to be one of his friends. You can't go wrong with either one. Both of them is the cream of the crop," Oakley added.
Oakley played with Jordan between 1985 and 1988, serving as his enforcer with the Chicago Bulls. They also teamed up with the Washington Wizards for the 2002-03 NBA season. Oakley and Jordan remain good friends to this day.
Meanwhile, Oakley developed a friendship with a young LeBron James. Both are from Cleveland, so Oakley became a natural mentor to "The King." James and Jordan were both upset when James Dolan had Oakley arrested in 2017 inside Madison Square Garden.
NBA statistician 'settles' GOAT debate between LeBron James and Michael Jordan
As mentioned above, the debate on who the greatest player of all time will perhaps go on forever. However, an NBA statistician attempted to settle the debate using his own mathematical formula based on stats called Tendex.
Tendex is a complicated statistical system that is now widely accepted and used in the NBA and Europe. It calculates a player's efficiency with three accepted formulae: the Standard Tendex Rating, Modified Tendex Rating and European Tendex Rating.
In an appearance on NTD News, NBA statistician Dave Heeren explained his Tendex formula, while promoting his book 'Seventy-Five.' Heeren ranked the 75 greatest NBA players using Tendex. NTD reporter Dave Martin revealed the top four in Heeren's book, where LeBron James ranked ahead of Michael Jordan.
"Heeren has four players bunched at the top. Jordan at four, then LeBron, Wilt Chamberlain and surprisingly Oscar Robertson at number one," Martin reported.
You can watch the video below. The interview with Heeren is at the 27:11 mark.
With James still playing in the NBA, he will have more time to add to his records and possibly increase his number of rings. Nevertheless, the GOAT debate between him and Jordan is expected to continue.