Is or Will Lebron be the next " Jordan"?

[Bornindamecca]

Re: Is or Will Lebron be the next " Jordan"?

That was well said man. Damn

HAHA, thanks

[Jukeman]

Re: Is or Will Lebron be the next " Jordan"?

I don't understand how you can make that statement but ok

Why is it something wrong that a generation doesn't know about the generation BEFORE it? Again you are displaying generational bias

LOL I meant to say that I don't think me growing up in the Jordan ERA has anything to do with me liking MJ...As I stated earlier that Walter Payton is my all time favorite athlete but ive never watched him play live, but then again I'm not just an average sports fan....

I love LBJ BTW, so I don't think I'm being bias....IMO with all the sources we have now, I just find it mind blowing for someone to not know about the past...but I'll leave that for a hardcore vs casual sports fan discussion...

[DC]

Re: Is or Will Lebron be the next " Jordan"?

They might KNOW about the past but who is really going to hold more value in the past than they do with the present?

[J.R. Locke]

Re: Is or Will Lebron be the next " Jordan"?

Yes. I think Lebron is a smarter more consistent personality than Jordan.

Jordan was basically "untouchable" Lebron is much more personable. I think Lebrons personality will make him far greater than Jordan in the icon thing.

Lebron needs to win soon and with Cleveland. If he leaves Cleveland without a title he will fall short of Jordan in the winning regard. Even if he wins 7 with wherever he goes next.

Jordan had a lot of negatives and since leaving the game multiple times he has tarnished his legacy and image in my opinion. His last years in Washington were a disgrace, not in the fact of his ability but what it did to the team. His front office ability is akin to Isiah Thomas. He had the gambling, the divorce the comebacks....drama.

Anyway for my money I think Lebron's biggest challenge is the fact that he is in Kobe's age now (just like Jordan had Bird/Magic during his first 5 years).

Jordan is the OG. He created this player over team concept in marketing. But in my opinion his popularity will wane and has waned since his very public missteps.

[youvalss]

Re: Is or Will Lebron be the next " Jordan"?

I the 80's when the Air Jordan shoes started, not many players had their own shoe. I guess Magic and Bird had those Converse and I think Worthy had his, and maybe few more players. MJ took it to new heights so there was really no competition, even in the 90's when many other players had their own shoe. Today almost every player has his shoe, even if it doesn't carry his name (look at the accesories edit threads for your video games and see how you put a different shoe on every player). LeBron is certainly above all today imo, but it's different because you expect him to have his own shoe. It would be weird if LBJ wore Iverson's shoes, for example. Times are different, I don't think you can compare popularity. Also, remember that during the 80's the NBA wasn't as global as it is today, and that only during the early 90's games started to be aired world-widely. As someone who lives outside the US I can tell you that only in 1990 or so we were able to watch live NBA games and enjoy NBA magazines. Before that, most of the information we got was through newspaper articles, or you would go to some stores that import American magazines and buy youself Basketball Digets (my favorite mag) or Hoops.
I guess we'll have to see what happens when LBJ wins a title (if he wins one) because that could rise him to new heights.

[Muzyk23]

Re: Is or Will Lebron be the next " Jordan"?

It is funny that you mention Iverson because I was gonna mention Garnett. Both of them have changed the face of the game. Iverson allowed the undersized SG's to flourish and KG promoted Big Man Versatility. But neither are heads and shoulders better than their peers. They are up there but not head and shoulders above (Like Kobe, Shaq were at points in their careers)

can't agree at all..Iverson was the nba's biggest and brightest star, even if we only take 2000\2001 season into account, from 1999 to 2003, he beat T-Mac, Pacers, Carter and Raptors, Bucks and almost Lakers..
Allen Iverson had the biggest number of fans in Europe alone of all players during his prime. No one could touch him.

[Taur3asi3]

Re: Is or Will Lebron be the next " Jordan"?

Jordan had a lot of negatives and since leaving the game multiple times he has tarnished his legacy and image in my opinion...He had the gambling, the divorce the comebacks....drama.

Kareem used heroin and enjoys marijuana
Wilt was a man-whore
Larry Bird has an illegitimate daughter that he doesnt recognize
Patrick Ewing received special services at the Gold Club
Robert Parish was arrested for marijuana
James Worthy got arrested for requesting a call girl service
David Thompson's career was ruined by drug abuse
Charles Barkley has made and lost more money than any of us will ever see

Suddenly 2 successful comebacks, blackjack, and a divorce dont seem so legacy tarnishing do they?

[DC]

Re: Is or Will Lebron be the next " Jordan"?

The White Man didn't like Iverson though. Thats what matters. Sorry to have to say it like that but yea. So he never even had a real chance of being THE MAN.

[SPTO]

Re: Is or Will Lebron be the next " Jordan"?

I'll just answer the original question posed with this:

There will never be another Jordan. This is what hurts the NBA so much. You guys keep looking for another Jordan and it's pathetic. Let's face it, to many people Jordan is the GOAT. There's no way there's going to be another. That being said, Lebron is not the next Jordan he's the first Lebron.

If NBA fans keep looking for another Jordan then the game is going to keep stagnating in some people's minds. It's like a guy who left a long term girlfriend looking for another girl just LIKE his last girlfriend. It's fruitless and stupid.

[allBthere]

Re: Is or Will Lebron be the next " Jordan"?

I'll just answer the original question posed with this:

There will never be another Jordan. This is what hurts the NBA so much. You guys keep looking for another Jordan and it's pathetic. Let's face it, to many people Jordan is the GOAT. There's no way there's going to be another. That being said, Lebron is not the next Jordan he's the first Lebron.

If NBA fans keep looking for another Jordan then the game is going to keep stagnating in some people's minds. It's like a guy who left a long term girlfriend looking for another girl just LIKE his last girlfriend. It's fruitless and stupid.

I couldn't agree more.

And to add to that, people cared or at least knew about Jordan when they didn't even care for basketball. I remember people saying that his name recognition was bigger than Jesus! (not sure I believe that though)

I don't think you get a 'jordan' every generation either, it's extremely rare. Even if someone is Better than Jordan in his prime, he may not reach the same level. For example in boxing everyone knows 'Ali' (He's not the goat to me at all), but you have to be a boxing fan to know sugar ray robinson.

Ruth, Ali, Gretzky, Jordan, Pele, Unitas.

Actually football probably is trickier - Rice, Marino, etc... but nonoe of these including Unitas is really as 'international' The others are known to casuals as the 'best ever' so we'll stick with those ones.

When someone like those mentioned above is playing, you can feel it, you're aware of it. When Michael 'Air' Jordan was playing it wasn't even in question - he's the best, greatest, goat, etc...it's worth watching just for him etc.. plus all the cultural terms that came as a result of him "be like mike" "it's gotta be the shoes" blah blah.

At this time, this is clearly not happening with James - although it's technically possible, I highly doubt it...what we're talking about with MJ really is an extremely rare phenomenon.

[Muzyk23]

Re: Is or Will Lebron be the next " Jordan"?

The White Man did not like him at all, but The Black Man was still THE MAN in the eyes of many.

[Jukeman]

Re: Is or Will Lebron be the next " Jordan"?

I'll just answer the original question posed with this:

There will never be another Jordan. This is what hurts the NBA so much. You guys keep looking for another Jordan and it's pathetic. Let's face it, to many people Jordan is the GOAT. There's no way there's going to be another. That being said, Lebron is not the next Jordan he's the first Lebron.

If NBA fans keep looking for another Jordan then the game is going to keep stagnating in some people's minds. It's like a guy who left a long term girlfriend looking for another girl just LIKE his last girlfriend. It's fruitless and stupid.

The question wasn't about looking for another Jordan nor was it about Bron being the next GOAT...I said "Jordan" meaning the next big sports Icon......I think a couple of championships may put him there but I just don't see him or anybody for that matter being as marketable as Jordan, maybe because times has changed? I dunno I still see little kids wearing jordans, I rarely see any lebron shoes being wore...

[SPTO]

Re: Is or Will Lebron be the next " Jordan"?

The question wasn't about looking for another Jordan nor was it about Bron being the next GOAT...I said "Jordan" meaning the next big sports Icon......I think a couple of championships may put him there but I just don't see him or anybody for that matter being as marketable as Jordan, maybe because times has changed? I dunno I still see little kids wearing jordans, I rarely see any lebron shoes being wore...

You just answered your question. Lebron just doesn't have the presence nor the brand recognition Jordan had. Even before Jordan won his first championship he was near Iconic status. The championships firmly put him in the icon level. Lebron right now isn't even sniffing icon status and a couple championships would raise his stature but he'll just be a big thing in basketball/hip hop circles.

There is no basketball player on the planet right now who cuts across cultural and racial lines the way Jordan did.

[Brankles]

Re: Is or Will Lebron be the next " Jordan"?

Jordan was so marketable for 4 reasons:

1. There was no player like him playing the shooting guard.
-There is no swingman like LeBron in the league. His combination of size, strength, speed, and basketball IQ is unmatched.

2. He was indisputably the best player in the league.
-While many think he's the best in the league, there are other players like Kobe, CP3, Dwight, Duncan, etc. that could give him a run for his money.

*3. He was handsome, had a good voice, was a good speaker.
-I've never heard a chick say LeBron was a good looking person, but I've heard it about Jordan many times. LeBron has a deep, booming voice, but he's not nearly as good of a speaker as Jordan. There's tons of Michael Jordan quotes out there, but very few Lebron quotes. Keep in mind that Lebron is still only 23 years old, so this could change.

4. He was human, but not too human. He cried while holding the championship trophy after his father died, but was untouchable on the basketball court. He was a basketball god. He was also very mature and was respected to the highest degree from his peers.
-LeBron is a little bit childish. He doesn't really have any drama surrounding him... no touching family stories or drama between him and other teams/players (unless you wanna count the Wizards). Basically LeBron is just a high school phenom who is really good at basketball. He lacks the personality Jordan had.


LeBron is still young and could certainly mature and get to the point of Jordan as far as marketability... but I think he lacks Jordan's charisma and understanding of how to appeal to so many people.




*No homo

[HMcCoy]

Re: Is or Will Lebron be the next " Jordan"?

Jordans weren't just basketball kicks, they were, at the time, the ultimate fashion statement. Kicks were just starting to get more attention as the centerpeice of your outfit. Run DMC's "Mah...Uh...Deedas", was up against KRS's Nikes.

When Jordan 1's dropped, You could spot them boys from across the street. When someone walked into the barbershop with them on, it was a spectacle. That color pallette was wild and new back then, like a weird pair of Bapes are now. Wearing them transcended just supporting an athelete. They were flat out "the ****" to have on your feet, more AF1's than Zoom LeBrons.

Also, at the time MJ's greatness was still in its infancy. Their weren't any regular nationally televised games...you only got glimpses of Mike. You heard he was nasty. He electrified the younger crowd with clips of his moves, athleticism, and tongue wagging...but alot of older b-ball fans had wrote him off as flashy, Dr. J wannabe and gravitated more towards Magic and Bird who were older and more polished. There was lots of heated debating, much like the "Kobe vs. player x" arguments we see now. And like with any passionate argument, people tend to embrace the object of their "side" even more than they normally would. Once MJ's fanbase got a hold of a shoe that was so hype, it was over. J's were the white tees of the 80's, and with every new itiration, being the first to sport them became more and more of a cultural badge...all of this before sig shoes were commonplace. Now, everyone has a shoe, stars and scrubs alike. In the beginning, MJ only shared that market with a select few.

Top it all off with great commercials and you have the Jordan craze.

LeBron, Melo, Ivy...none of those guys have that convergence of factors. Its about way more than a player just being good, or just being popular...Its not just 'chips or street cred. Its the literal definition of "trend", which was, is, and will always be dictated by fickle young'ins.