Former Dallas Mavericks center Brendan Haywood appeared at “Run Your Race” on Tuesday and had to name his GOAT choice. Haywood’s options were between Michael Jordan and LeBron James, the two players often compared to each other.
Haywood gave an explanation for why he thinks the former Chicago Bulls great is a superior talent to the two.
“Come on, stop playin’,” Haywood said. “… Come on now. If anybody in the Carolina family doesn’t say that M.J. is No. 1, they are excommunicado. Come on now. Come on now. M.J.’s the greatest ever.”
“This man is MVP, Defensive Player of the Year. He’s MVP, First Team All-Defense, Finals MVP — and leading the league in scoring all in the same year. Only been done four times, all MJ.”
“That’s how you end the debate with these young guys that wanna talk about LeBron. That’s how you end the debate right there.”
Like MJ, Haywood attended North Carolina. The former big man was fortunate enough to play alongside Jordan with the Washington Wizards in his rookie year. In his final season in the NBA, the 2011 champion played with James with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2014-15 season.
Stephen A. Smith on why Michael Jordan returned to the league and joined the Wizards
Michael Jordan surprised the basketball community when he announced his return to the NBA during the 2001-02 season. Jordan became active in the sport as a member of the Wizards at 38 years of age. While no one knows the real reason why MJ returned to the court, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith talked about the real intention of Jordan’s return.
“The only reason why he went to Washington, the nation’s capital was because he was trying to become an owner. The owner at the time Abe Pollin insisted that he be a participant on the basketball court,” Smith said.
“See Washington was smarter. They said, ‘Michael Jordan get your a** on the court,’ and that’s what he did. But be very very very very clear, Michael Jordan wasn’t all over the place. Michael Jordan played and starred on one team in his Hall of Fame career.”
With the Wizards, Jordan wasn’t as explosive as he once was. The 6-foot-6 guard played two seasons, averaging 21.2 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists. Despite his lowly numbers, MJ was voted in by fans as an All-Star during his final years in the league.
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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.
