The NBA revealed the finalists for seven postseason awards on Sunday. The league will begin announcing the winners on Tuesday, the NBA’s communications department tweets.
The Most Improved Player award will be announced on Tuesday. Tyrese Maxey, Alperen Sengun and Coby White are the finalists. The Sixth Man of the Year award winner will be revealed on Wednesday, followed by the Clutch Player of the Year (Thursday) and Coach of the Year (Sunday).
We have more from around the basketball world:
- The Nets’ hiring of Jordi Fernandez as their head coach won’t affect his status with Team Canada. Fernandez will coach their national team at the Paris Olympics, Canada Basketball tweets.
- The Salt Lake City Summer League will take place July 8-10 at the Jazz’s Delta Center, according to a press release. The Jazz, Grizzlies, Thunder and Sixers will once again compete in the round-robin summer showcase, which precedes the Las Vegas Summer League.
- The Athletic’s Sam Amick and Josh Robbins compiled poll results from 142 NBA players on a variety of topics. Nikola Jokic topped Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for MVP, while Michael Jordan edged out LeBron James for Greatest Player of All Time. A majority of the players chose James Johnson as the player they’d least like to fight.
LeBron very well might be the “greatest player” of all-time but he will never surpass the zeitgeist and aura of Jordan during his heyday.
If you were one of his many, many haters that’s your fault, not his. You missed out on a true legend
How is his comment hate? Just because it goes against your opinion?
Quite the opposite. I’d vote Jordan too due to the aforementioned zeitgeist and aura. LeBron might ultimately win most of the pure numbers categories but Jordan was amazing in a way that simply captivated an audience.
It’s pretty easy to hate on the biggest cry baby of all time. Jordan would of had 12 rings had he been able to pick his own teammates like LeLoser has his whole career. Terrible role model to boot.
Wow. Every word you just posted was wrong. That’s impressive.
I think Jordan is the GOAT over LeBron, but being that much of a hater takes effort.
If LeBron played in Jordan’s era, he’d still be LeBron (except he wouldn’t play 20+ years).
But, if Jordan played in LeBron’s era, where everybody has a 40, 50, 60+ point game… sheesh.
James Johnson is a bad MFer. His entire family is. His mother could kick the ass of 90% of the guys in the NBA in a fight. Johnson is the Chuck Norris of the basketball world.
Jordan is the better winner and has a mental toughness and competitive fire that rivals Bird. He couldn’t be stopped, especially if you got him mad. Used his speed and grace like nobody else. Mesmerizing to watch. About as clutch as anyone. Defensive stopper and steals master.
LeBron is a better team player and more well liked compared to Jordan. Has a higher love of the game and endurance. He has better court vision. Uses his size to dominate like nobody ever has, except maybe Wilt. One of the best transition defenders ever.
The difference?
Jordan was a better scorer, more clutch, imposed his will, and a much better on-ball defender. He could get triple doubles anytime he wanted, but deferred to Pippen and others later. There was simply no better presence on the basketball floor than Jordan. Other stars feared him. His BB IQ and pursuit of being the best are up there with the best.
LeBron is much better at getting his teammates involved. He’s a better rebounder and passer, overall. He’s also a much better 3-point shooter earlier in his career. LeBron also has a commanding presence on the basketball floor. His number of triple doubles is amazing as well. His BB IQ and drive to win, are among the best.
I’d say the biggest difference between the two is the level of excellence they demand from their teammates. Jordan was notoriously hard on his teammates and expected them to rise to his level. His teams won a lot more games than LeBron’s in the same amount of time. LeBron had great runs but I’d say his constant moving around really hurt his momentum to stay at Jordan’s level. However, his longevity has evened it quite a bit.
Overall, Jordan’s presence, competitive fire and insane drive are what make him the greatest overall. Put him on any team from any era and he would find ways to improve, demand more from his teammates, and ultimately win more titles.
Keep in mind, I think Bird is the greatest basketball player of all time. However, his body and injuries are what holds him back.
Wilt, and maybe Oscar at his size, are the greatest athletes ever. LeBron has the power, but he doesn’t quite have the finesse of these guys and Jordan.
Magic and Stockton were the greatest at getting their teammates involved…
But I could keep going forever. Haha