Pippen says James may eventually be known as best ever
Scottie Pippen was so impressed by LeBron James leading Miami to a comeback win at the United Center on Thursday, the Bulls legend was willing to consider the unthinkable: James could be the greatest NBA player of all time.
Pippen shared his thoughts Friday on ESPN Radio's “Mike and Mike in the Morning” show.
“Michael Jordan is probably the greatest scorer to play the game,” Pippen said. “But I may go as far as to say LeBron James may be the greatest player to ever play the game, because he is so potent offensively that not only can he score at will but he keeps everybody involved.”
Before anyone gets too bent out of shape, Pippen did say James “may” be the greatest player, meaning if he keeps playing like this. Jordan still leads on the championship scoreboard 6-0, though James will get a chance for his first trophy against Dallas in the NBA Finals.
“You have to be on your P's and Q's on defense,” Pippen continued. “No guy on the basketball court is a threat to score with LeBron James out there. Not only will LeBron dominate from the offensive end as well, but he's also doing it on the defensive end, which really makes him the complete package.
“I think there has always been a knock on him that he don't make the big shots down the stretch. Well, I think they can put that behind him now. He's a shot-maker. And right now he's a man on a mission.”
James didn't play well until the final three minutes on Thursday in Game 5, then hit a pair of 3-pointers and a go-ahead jumper over Ronnie Brewer with 29.5 seconds left.
It's easy to see where James could be viewed as the most talented player ever. At 6-foot-8, he's two inches taller than Jordan and is probably a better passer and rebounder than Jordan. James also has so much strength and shooting touch, he often makes it look like he's playing on a Nerf hoop.
Former Bulls forward Horace Grant went on WMVP's “Waddle and Silvy Show” to rebut Pippen's suggestion.
“Pip is my man, and we will always be close but I totally disagree,” Grant said. “LeBron is going to be one of the top players to ever play the game. But Michael Jeffrey Jordan, who we bumped heads with at times, is I think in my era, the best who ever played the game.”