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LeBron is great–but he’s not the best passer since Magic Johnson
- Updated: June 16, 2018
We get it.
LeBron James is a great player. He’s the best player of this generation, and one of the best of all-time. To argue any differently is to be the Alex Jones of sports. So, I guess, Skip Bayless.
It’s sacrilegious nowadays to criticize LeBron, but people lose their minds when trying to compare his skills to past greats.
We’re not even going to bring up the Jordan thing (even though it’s still clear MJ is the GOAT). This is about LeBron’s skill set.
Take this dude who asked the serious question about whether or not LeBron is the greatest passer since Magic Johnson:
LeBron most gifted passer since Magic Johnson?
— Jason Jones (@mr_jasonjones) June 4, 2018
Look, LeBron has great court vision. He’s a terrific passer. He sees openings other guys don’t see, almost always makes the right play, all of that. But he’s not Jason Kidd.
Do you need a reminder of why LeBron isn’t Jason Kidd? OK, here you go:
If you took the time to watch the video above, it’s insane. And it shows why J-Kidd is a Hall of Famer, and one of the most gifted passers and point guards of all-time. We could also mention Steve Nash, Gary Payton, Larry Bird, Mark Jackson, Mark Price, Chris Paul, and oh yeah—the only guy who ranks higher than Magic on the all-time assists list: John Stockton.
Do people ever think about any of these guys when they’re losing their minds after a nice LeBron find in the Finals? Did any of these guys’ names flash through Jason Jones’ head before he hit ‘send’ on Twitter? Of course not.
It’s okay–we understand that LeBron is an exciting player. He can do so many things–whether it’s bowl people over like a fullback on his way to the basket, hit a ridiculous amount of insane, Dirk-like turnaround jumpers while completely invalidating the Raptors as a physical entity that exists, chase down guys on the break like a lion pouncing on an antelope–it’s understandable to get caught up in it all.
This is just another reminder that the thing you’re watching right now isn’t necessarily the greatest thing of all-time, or the greatest thing since the other greatest dude of all-time.
Lots of talented basketball players have shown us their gifts over the years, and not all of them are named Michael, Magic, or LeBron.
Let’s just try and remember some of them, too.
Also see:
However you feel about him on the court, LeBron is a hero off of it
