Isiah Thomas has an opinion in the great debate between Michael Jordan and LeBron James. Thomas who was an all time great in the league told Waddle & Silvy on ESPN 1000 that he’s not sure who the better ball player is, but LeBron is the better athlete.
“They’re both great players, and they’re both great in their eras,” Thomas said on “The Waddle & Silvy Show” on ESPN 1000. “In my era, we hadn’t seen an athlete quite like Michael Jordan. He jumped higher than everyone else. He was a little faster than everyone else and he was just the best athlete.
“LeBron James is the best athlete of today, and he’s probably a better athlete than Michael Jordan was. He’s bigger, he’s faster, he’s stronger.”
Thomas said the head to head matchup in basketball would depend on a few different factors.
“Now when you put them out on the floor to compete against each other in different eras, it depends on which rules you’re playing with and which coach you’re being coached by,” Thomas said. “So there’s a lot that really goes into it.
“Had Michael Jordan not met Phil Jackson, would Michael Jordan be Michael Jordan today had he stayed with (Stan) Albeck and Doug Collins, and they were great coaches, but I think Jackson had a lot to do with his success. LeBron right now seems to be in the right situation with the right coach with the right players and his talent is being exposed and is flourishing.”
Of course we must take into account, that Thomas and Jordan to put it bluntly, don’t like each other, but the question does remain, who is the better athlete?