Jackie MacMullan says she admires LeBron James’ personal will: “That’s why Jordan was so great, too”
Longtime NBA insider Jackie MacMullan discussed LeBron James' dominance in the face of a losing season. On Wednesday’s episode of “The Bill Simmons Podcast,” she compared the greatness she sees from James to the great Michael Jordan.
MacMullan said:
"One thing I've always admired about LeBron is the personal will. Like, if it's a big game for whatever reason in his mind, you know, that's why Jordan was so great, too. Because he could do this whether it's real or imagined, and if you put into overdrive and they got locked into something.
"And you know it doesn't matter if LeBron shoots the ball poorly, because he impacts the game in so many other ways. And that's what great players do.”
LeBron James’ personal will is much like Michael Jordan’s
Known for his high basketball IQ and leadership abilities, LeBron James is a four-time NBA champion and four-time MVP.
Although the Lakers (29-39) have been a disappointment, James has not slowed down. In his 19th season, James is averaging 29.7 points (second in the league for scoring average), 8.2 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game.
James recently had two 50-point performances.
He scored 56 in a 124-116 win over the Golden State Warriors on March 5. He then scored 50 in a 122-109 win over Washington on Friday. Those performances provided the Lakers with their only wins in their 10 games since the All-Star break. The outbursts also came not long after his scoring ability was questioned.
The Lakers, who visit the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night, haven't won a road game since Jan. 25. That victory came against the Brooklyn Nets, who played with Kevin Durant out with a knee injury. They have also gone 8-19 since January and haven't won consecutive games since Jan. 7.
Los Angeles, which is clinging to a spot in the play-in tournament, has lost its last two games.
Michael Jordan played 15 seasons, winning six championships with the Chicago Bulls. He averaged an NBA-record 30.1 ppg, 6.2 rpg and 5.3 apg. He won five MVP awards. He led the league in scoring 10 times.
Jackie MacMullan believes James is much the same kind of player as Jordan. James has underscored her opinion by challenging for his second career league scoring title at age 37 and notching two 50-point performances. This kind of dominance is a rarity.