Debating Destiny: Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James

By Sports Entertainment Publishing

"Debating Destiny: Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James" is a first-of-its-kind and exceedingly controversial attempt to answer the question that some believe will define an era in sports. Michael Jordan or LeBron James: Who is the greatest NBA player of all time?

In this compelling and comprehensive new eBook exclusive from the bestselling publisher of today's finest sports eBooks, "His Airness" and "King James" face off for the first time in a detailed and unbiased analysis that is poised to intensify the debate between fans before settling it.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sports Entertainment Publishing
• Release date: Oct 13, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301269297

Sports Entertainment Publishing

Founded in 2011, Sports Entertainment Publishing is an electronic publishing house with bestselling ebooks pertaining to technology, sports, music, entertainment, news, and politics available in every major digital storefront in the world.

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Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James: Who’s The Greatest?

By Mike Albert

Disclaimer

Disclaimer

Published by Sports Entertainment Publishing at Smashwords

Copyright 2013 Sports Entertainment Publishing.

All Rights Reserved worldwide. May not be copied or distributed without prior written permission from the publisher.

This eBook is not affiliated with or endorsed by Michael Jordan, LeBron James, or the NBA.

All information contained in this eBook has been obtained by exclusive interviews, online research, and information freely available in the public domain.

This eBook provides information that you read and use at your own risk.

Cover image is available (with attribution) in the public domain royalty free and for commercial use by Keith Allison.

Introduction

It’s the sports question that some believe will define an era: Michael Jordan or LeBron James? Who is the greatest player of all time?

The question, of course, is inherently flawed in its subjectivity.

It goes without saying that any analysis of the greatest players in NBA history cannot and should not – in good conscience – be limited to a side-by-side comparison of just two men.

Where is Jerry West in this discussion? Or Wilt? How about Magic or Kareem? Let’s not forget Larry, Dr. J, or even Kobe, not to mention a hundred other players for whom a compelling case could be made that they were actually the best.

That undeniable flaw in this argument must be acknowledged, and so it is. Nonetheless, the question that occupies the minds and directs the debates of old school and new school basketball fans involves two men more commonly than any other – Michael Jordan and LeBron James.

In some ways, the players are almost impossible to tell apart. In others, they are clearly their own players with unique skills and consequential nuances that, when all is said and done, will help to determine who the greatest really was.

Regretfully, the impatient sports fans among us can’t wait for time to run its course. And so without two solid and unchanging variables in place – after all, James is still active in the NBA and likely will be for many more years – we have the enormous, if not impossible, task of comparing Michael Jordan to LeBron James.

While the following work may only serve to spark more debate, one thing is for certain. Fans of both players will never stop bickering and asserting their particularly cogent arguments. But based on the facts available today, there is enough evidence to assert who the greatest player of all time really is.

And it’s safe to say that this answer will disappoint at least half of those who read any further.

Part 1: LeBron James

NBA superstar LeBron James is considered one of the best players in the game of basketball today. Despite a angering loyal fans with his decision to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers in favor of playing on the Miami Heat, LeBron is highly respected both on and off the court and he has more than earned the respect of even the Cleveland fans who felt as if he betrayed his hometown.

LeBron James has always excelled on the court and it was on the court that he found redemption and glory and yet, he remains grounded and humble.

But who exactly is LeBron James, where did he come from and what motivates him both on and off the field?

LeBron James was born in 1984, on December 30th, in Akron Ohio. Gloria James, his mother, was only 16 years old when she had LeBron and he was an only child. LeBron’s father did not want to be in the picture and so Gloria James gave her child her one last name. LeBron was raised during his first three years by this mom and her mother, his grandmother. Without a father figure, LeBron’s mother had to raise him on her own, although she did have her mother to help.

When Gloria was 19 and James was only three, Gloria’s mother died on Christmas morning of a heart attack. It was a struggle to pay for the house that they lived in, a house that had been in the family for generations. When James was 5, their house was condemned by the city and that started a period of instability for James and his young mother, who was struggling to