"LeBron James was the dynasty" - Nick Wright vigorously defends LeBron James in GOAT debate while attempting to dismantle the "Nobody ate on Jordan's watch" narrative
Nick Wright recently had an interesting take to offer in the Michael Jordan and LeBron James GOAT debate. Speaking on the nature of a dynasty on "First Things First", Wright offered a relatively new perspective on the matter.
The GOAT debate has been one of the longest drawn conversations in modern basketball. Torn between the likes of Michael Jordan and LeBron James, several analysts and fans have unsuccessfully tried to arrive at a deciding factor.
While some analysts, such as Skip Bayless, don't even consider James worthy enough to be part of the debate, others like Nick Wright are on the other side of the coin.
Vigorously defending LeBron's claim to the throne, Wright made a reference to the Golden State Warriors being the newest dynasty.
"The reason the Warriors are a dynasty is because, in an eight-year stretch, they went to six Finals and won four rings," Wright said. "So who else did that during the LeBron James era? Oh wait, LeBron James! LeBron James was the dynasty!"
While discussing James' accomplishments, Wright argued that there were existing dynasties in the Jordan era. Chris Broussard didn't take to this well, but Wright defended his statement with some debatable stats.
Nick Wright went on to comment upon how the narrative suits Jordan as his age is brought into question. But with LeBron being almost the same age as Jordan when the LA Lakers formed their dynasty, Wright added:
"This is what we hear. 'Nobody ate on Jordan's watch,' which is true, as long as you're excluding Kareem, Magic, Worthy, Bird, McHale, Parish, Isaih, Dumars, Hakeem, Drexler, Duncan, Robinson, Shaq, Kobe. Nobody else ate though, he's right about that."
"LeBron James was the dynasty. ... We hear, 'Nobody ate on Jordan's watch.' Which is true, as long as you're excluding Kareem, Magic, Worthy, Bird, McHale, Parish, Isiah, Dumars, Hakeem, Drexler, Duncan, Robinson, Shaq, Kobe. Nobody else ate though." — @getnickwright https://t.co/Z5I1t2HwxI
How solid is Nick Wright's take on the LeBron James vs Michael Jordan debate?
LeBron James has had one of the most dominant individual stretches in NBA history. Going to eight consecutive Finals and winning three, James has been consistently successful in taking his team to the big stage.
"I'm LeBron James from Akron, Ohio, from the inner city. I'm not even supposed to be here...I'm blessed."
9 YEARS AGO TODAY, LeBron did this to the Spurs in GM7 of the 2013 NBA Finals:
37 PTS | 12 REB | 4 AST | 1 DAGGER https://t.co/icdbd9n5UC
"The Block"
On this day in 2016... LeBron James completed a jaw-dropping chasedown block late in Game 7 of the 2016 #NBAFinals setting the stage for a historic comeback. #NBA75 https://t.co/ggIioL6vf5
Unfortunately for him, however, that hasn't always yielded positive results. With several losses in the Finals, James as a "dynasty" wasn't the most successful one.
This stands in stark contradiction to Michael Jordan's career.
Jordan didn't arrive at the Finals scene until 1991. However, once he made it there, he remained unbeaten.
30 YEARS AGO TODAY 🐐
MICHAEL JORDAN made this "Spectacular Move" during a spectacular 33-point performance (15/18 FG) in the 1991 NBA Finals!
GM1: 36 PTS, 12 AST, 8 REB
GM2: 33 PTS, 13 AST, 7 REB
GM3: 29 PTS, 9 AST, 9 REB
GM4: 28 PTS, 13 AST, 5 REB
GM5: 30 PTS, 10 AST, 5 STL https://t.co/y9NHGi7UkF
With a 6-0 record in the Finals, Jordan is the most successful player when it comes down to showing up for the big game. While due consideration can be given to roster strength and support at his disposal, His Airness was the most dominant force on the biggest stage.
June 14, 1998: In NBA Finals Game 6, #Bulls Michael Jordan hit the iconic “Last Shot” in UTA for CHI’s 6th NBA title in 8 years (2nd 3-peat) along with his record 6th Finals MVP award, shooting the most % (52%; 35/67) of a team's FGA in NBA Playoff history
https://t.co/Nig6DFFPJU
The G.O.A.T. debate itself won't really have an end. There will always be more narratives drawn up to support either side. But the biggest crime in this regard, according to many, is to deny the greatness of either legend.