Sports Illustrated’s new story “LeBron James chases the ghost from Chicago and basketball immortality” is one of the most in-depth looks at LeBron we’ve had in quite some time — and it’s incredible. He’s still driven not only to be the best now, but chase the greatest of all time. He’s not finished, and knows he’s not close.
LeBron James isn’t ready to compare himself to Michael Jordan ... yet
Photo by Angelo Merendino/Getty Images
James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
Michael Jordan’s path through the NBA was very different to LeBron, but both are legends in their own right. Read the entire thing because it’s worth your time, but here are some things that jump out from that piece.
You might have the LeBron vs. MJ argument, but he isn’t -- not yet.
“What I’ve gone through is totally different than what he went through. What he did was unbelievable, and I watched it unfold. I looked up to him so much. I think it’s cool to put myself in position to be one of those great players, but if I can ever put myself in position to be the greatest player, that would be something extraordinary.”
LeBron missed out on J.R. Smith’s $23,000 champagne party.
On June 20, around 3 a.m. at the Wynn hotel in Las Vegas, the Cavaliers lost track of him. While they toasted their title poolside at XS Nightclub—where Smith sprayed $23,000 worth of champagne, according to credible estimates—James slipped out the door. He wound up at Allegro, an Italian restaurant on the casino floor, sitting silently over a Margherita pizza.
The impact of bringing a title to Cleveland was more than even LeBron expected.
“Just yesterday, I was on the rooftop at The Peninsula, and a lady came up to me crying and hyperventilating,” James says. “She was like, I’m from Cleveland and you have no idea. She’s right. It’s been more than a month, and I still have no idea.”
The Warriors’ super team isn’t pushing LeBron, but it also is.
Shortly after Durant signed and the NBA’s tectonic plates shifted, James started setting his alarm for 5 a.m., working out in a West Hollywood gym at 6. He insists the Warriors are not the impetus, but he acknowledges that he rarely trains this hard this soon.
