The Michael Jordan vs LeBron James debate for the greatest basketball player of all time has been a recurring topic in the NBA community for years now. On a resurfaced clip from "The Mark Jackson Show" in April, NBA veteran turned broadcaster Kenny Smith weighed in on the debate and said that regardless of who is considered the greatest of all time, Michael Jordan is the most complete player.
As one of the most prolific scorers in NBA history, with a multifaceted resume filled with All-NBA first team and All-Defensive first team honors, Michael Jordan is Kenny Smith's pick for the most complete player of all time.
Of course, his comments quickly sparked debates, with many fans arguing LeBron James' case. While James may not have Jordan's defensive resume, he earned five All-Defensive first team honors from 2009-2013.
In addition, the other area that many believe strengthens LeBron James' case as is his assist numbers. While Jordan never led the league in assists and finished his career with a 5.3 per game average, James led the league with 10.2 assists per game during the 2019-20 season.
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He also averages 7.4 apg in his career, with 400 more games played. Given Smith's comments, NBA fans debated about who the most complete player of all time is.
"Lebron is statistically the worst shooter when it comes to 4th quarters. In fact his shooting percentage is 29% in the 4th quarter. And most of his points is off dunks literally 60% of his points in total are from dunks." - One wrote
"Complete basketball player is how u describe Lebron not Jordan" - Another added
"ngl I stopped when he started saying the most complete basketball player to ever live lmao" - One joked
Others stood up for Michael Jordan:
"Now, all y’all goons who talk about MJ without knowing how above he was everyone else, can sit down and take off your dunce caps. Kenny is 100" - One wrote
"If u go through my tweets, that’s my MAIN point about Mike. His fundamentals was on a BEAN!! Matched with the athleticism & aggression. Not one bad aspect of his game." - Another wrote
Kenny Smith explains how playing in college helped Michael Jordan develop into the most complete player of all time
During his appearance on "The Mark Jackson Show" in April, Kenny Smith was asked whether or not Michael Jordan could go left. According to Jackson's son and co-host, Mark Jackson Jr., fans have been alleging on the internet that Jordan wasn't effective when he went left.
The question drew laughter from Smith, who was baffled by it. After saying that Michael Jordan was effective when he went left, he explained that by the time Jordan got to the NBA, he didn't have any holes or flaws in his game.
"The most complete basketball player that ever lived is Michael Jordan. ... His ability to do every aspect of basketball at the highest level. And I think that came from going to college."
Smith also said that the best coaches in all of basketball are coaching at the college level. He added that coaches get more creative with offensive and defensive schemes, and players bring a wealth of knowledge with them to the NBA.
While Smith credited LeBron James with having outstanding basketball IQ, he believes that when it comes to fundamentals, Jordan stands out from the rest.
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