Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James achieved a feat on Friday against the Atlanta Hawks, surpassing former Chicago Bulls‘ Michael Jordan for most 30-point games in the NBA. Fans of the Lakers and James celebrated what the star had reached late in his career.
On X (formerly Twitter), a Lakers fan account, @LakeShowYo, posted a clip from the showdown between Los Angeles and Atlanta of the four-time MVP making a tough fadeaway shot. In the internet video, James smashed the record held by the six-time champion. However, the 40-year-old was referred to as the best basketball player of all time in the fan page’s description.
Jordan’s former teammate with the Bulls, Ron Harper, saw the post on X. The former NBA player responded to the fan page that referred to James as the greatest of all time with a single phrase, expressing disagreement with the perspective.
“lol,” Harper replied.
lol
— Ron Harper (@HARPER04_5) January 5, 2025
James and Jordan have been part of the GOAT debate since forever. Older basketball fans and players consider the former Chicago player the greatest player. A few from the younger generation also named MJ as their GOAT choice.
The others argue that it’s James. Due to his longevity and what he’s achieved in his career, many believe he’s a spot higher than all players in history, including Jordan.
Chicago Bulls to retire the jersey number of the youngest MVP winner
The Chicago Bulls plan to honor their former player, Derrick Rose, by retiring his No. 1 jersey number in the 2025-26 NBA season. The Bulls announced their intention to retire Rose’s jersey on Saturday.
“The Chicago Bulls announced today that Derrick Rose’s No. 1 jersey will be officially retired, making him the fifth Bulls player to receive this franchise honor. The Rose jersey retirement ceremony will be held during the next NBA season (2025-26), and details will be announced at a later date,” the Bulls said in a statement.
OFFICIAL: The Bulls will retire Derrick Rose's number during the 2025-26 NBA season. No other player will ever wear the number 1 for the Chicago Bulls.
Number 1 will always be from Chicago. pic.twitter.com/s7z3J030WA
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) January 4, 2025
On Saturday, the Bulls held a Derrick Rose Night as they played against the New York Knicks, also his former team. A special shirt with the “1.4.25” design was given to both teams in recognition of the youngest MVP. At halftime, an emotional Rose addressed the crowd, reminiscing his time with the team.
“[Tonight] is about me giving everybody that’s in this room, everybody that was a part of the story, the journey, the good, the bad, the ugly. It’s celebrating everyone,” Rose said.
"You're not only the MVP. You're The People's Champ"
–– Derrick Rose tears up during Joakim Noah's tribute pic.twitter.com/M4dq0Lw8dO
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) January 5, 2025
“I understand, coming from Chicago that it’s tough love, you know, I mean, it’s a lot of tough love,” Rose said. “I was just telling my friends that you can forget about the the love sometimes, and just give toughness out. Coming back, me being raised off of that tough love, I just wanted to show the love. There’s toughness too, but you don’t gotta be tough all the time.”
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Follow me on X at @BarbecueBro, and follow us at @HardwoodHeroics and @GridironHeroics. You can also reach out to Reign Amurao via email at reignamuraonba@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest sports news, click here!
Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen with Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
