His airness has been a little more outspoken lately with his stance on the police shooting issue currently affecting our country and his opinions on the current NBA product.
With that in mind, Michael Jordan has named which player reminds him most of himself in the NBA today and it is not who you would think (or should be)…
Michael Jordan sees a lot of the same characteristics he saw in himself in Russell Westbrook. pic.twitter.com/tTjFLGjgLv
— Ballers Hype (@BallersHype) August 6, 2016
In a sense I see where Jordan is coming from, Westbrook is an absolute dynamo on a basketball court and an athletic freak of nature that plays with a maniacal intensity and passion to win.
Westbrook is also entering the stage of his career where Jordan first began winning titles and elevating himself to all-time great status, which is what Jordan was referring when saying Westbrook is him 30 years ago. If Russell Westbrook leads an Oklahoma City Thunder team to an NBA title without Kevin Durant in 2016, he would without question be the biggest star on the face of the planet, and it would possibly be the most impressive alpha dog title we have ever seen. I don’t see that happening though.
When you really read between the lines though and consider Michael Jordan’s maniacal competitiveness and pension for mind games and trash talk, much of this statement, while expressing his admiration for Westbrook, is just Jordan throwing some shade at LeBron James.
Jordan knows many in the sports world and media are comparing the careers of he and LeBron and are saying that LeBron has a chance to reach the rarefied air of the GOAT by the time he retires. Jordan is aware of this and I am sure it bothers him because part of the reason he has achieved the status in the game of basketball that he has is his obsession with asserting his dominance over any other human that has participated in his craft.
I’m sure LeBron’s “chasing ghosts” statement had plenty to do with the timing of this statement by Jordan.
One thing I will say though is that none of Jordan’s titles or singular accomplishments were as impressive as LeBron coming back from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals to beat a 73 win team and defending champion and win Game 7 on the road.
