For years now, many have argued the case that LeBron James is the greatest player to ever play in the NBA, and that case will continue to grow if the Miami Heat can defeat the Dallas Mavericks and give the King his first championship. However, James recently received a vote for greatest ever from an unlikely source: Scottie Pippen.
"Michael Jordan is probably the greatest scorer to ever play in the game," Pippen told ESPN Radio, according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel. "But I may go as far to say LeBron James is probably the greatest player to ever play the game."
A Hall of Famer, Pippen is best known as the wingman to Jordan during the Chicago Bulls' six championship seasons in the '90s. Jordan is considered by many to be the greatest of all time, a man who changed the game of basketball, and it's interesting that Pippen would say publicly that he considers Lebron to be a better player than his longtime teammate.
Pippen clarified his comments via Twitter Friday afternoon, tweeting, "Don't get me wrong, MJ was and is the greatest. But LeBron could by all means get to his level someday."
Jordan's 14 All-Star seasons and five MVPs more than double LeBron's numbers (seven All-Stars and two MVPs), but at only 26 years old, James likely still has a long NBA career ahead of him. Perhaps Jordan's most telling statistic, however, is his six NBA championship rings, while LeBron hass yet to earn his first.
James and the Heat will begin their push for a title on Tuesday, when they host the Mavericks in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
