{"id":2068798,"date":"2026-07-30T09:00:18","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T06:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2068798"},"modified":"2026-07-30T09:00:18","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T06:00:18","slug":"lebron-james-made-a-perfect-pivot-move-in-quest-to-win-goat-debate-vs-michael-jordan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2068798","title":{"rendered":"LeBron James made a perfect pivot move in quest to win GOAT debate vs. Michael Jordan"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Tiebreakers.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s what LeBron James is playing for. Tiebreakers for the undecided voters still trying to figure out how to measure his campaign against Michael Jordan\u2019s.<\/p>\n

The hardened Jordan loyalists will never waver, just as the hardened LeBron loyalists will never budge. Whatever happens in Philadelphia over the next one, two or three years won\u2019t compel them to jump from one side to the other.<\/p>\n

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But there are a lot of independents out there, including yours truly, who have watched both careers and still bounce back and forth between Jordan, six-time champ with the Chicago Bulls, and James in a sports bar debate that will never truly be settled. And that\u2019s the beauty of the whole thing. Ranking titanic figures from different eras might be a fruitless and silly exercise to some, but this type of debate is also the one thing sports is supposed to be.<\/p>\n

Fun.<\/p>\n

At the same time, the case of Jordan v. James sure seems to be serious business to the 41-year-old billionaire who just agreed to a pay cut of nearly $49 million to help the Philadelphia 76ers try to win their first championship since 1983 and, of larger long-term consequence, to enhance his case as the greatest of the great.<\/p>\n

How do we know this? James has said a number of times over the years his goal is to go down as the GOAT, and he has said multiple times he believes he has already earned that distinction. In fact, James apparently believes he scaled that mountain in the 2016 NBA Finals \u2014 a decade ago \u2014 when he made history by leading the Cleveland Cavaliers out of a 3-1 series hole to beat the 73-win Golden State Warriors.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat one right there made me the greatest player of all time,\u201d James said in a 2018 episode of the \u201cMore Than An Athlete\u201d series.<\/p>\n

He got ahead of himself there, no question, and probably knows it. Eight years later, James still has work to do.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why he announced last week that after 23 NBA seasons, including eight with the Los Angeles Lakers, he still loves the game enough to continue on. He said his Sixers signing had nothing to do with family or (clearly) money. He said he wanted to win again.<\/p>\n

Left unsaid was how perfect his Philly pivot was in his own grand scheme of things.<\/p>\n

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What signing with the Sixers reveals about LeBron’s mindset<\/div>\n
Esfandiar Baraheni<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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