Michael Jordan's Longtime Rival Calls LeBron James the Best Player Ever

NBA legend and Hall of Fame point guard Isiah Thomas believes Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is the best player ever
February 20, 2022; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; NBA great Michael Jordan is honored for being selected to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team during halftime in the 2022 NBA All-Star Game at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
February 20, 2022; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; NBA great Michael Jordan is honored for being selected to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team during halftime in the 2022 NBA All-Star Game at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. / Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
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Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan has had an ongoing rivalry with Hall of Fame point guard Isiah Thomas. The two faced off several times as NBA opponents while Thomas was with the Detroit Pistons, and have maintained a feud many years later. This was especially notable during The Last Dance documentary.

During a recent interview with Kory Woods of MLive, Thomas said Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is the best player ever - not Jordan.

“I think when you look at, like I say, he’s touched and he leads in almost every statistical category," Thomas said of James. "He’s passed Kareem in scoring. I think he’s got the most playoff points. Not only that, when you look at the assist column, I know where I stand on the assist record. I think he’s passed me; I think he’s passed Magic on the assist record."

LeBron James and Michael Jordan
LeBron James and Michael Jordan on court during halftime during the 2022 NBA All-Star Game at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. / David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Thomas added that James is the best all-around player in league history, saying there has never been a player to impact all facets of the game the way he does.

"I mean, so when you talk about passing, scoring, rebounding, we’ve never had a player in the NBA that has touched every statistical category and leads in some of these statistical categories that we’re talking about," Thomas said. "There’s never been another player like him."

As previously mentioned, the feud between Jordan and Thomas received a national spotlight during the Last Dance Documentary.

Finishing his case for James being the best ever, Thomas added, "Now, everyone has their favorites, but if the numbers don’t lie, the numbers don’t lie. And he definitely passes the eye test. So to me, he’s the best that I’ve ever seen from a team standpoint and also as a basketball player.”

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Joey Linn

JOEY LINN

Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined Sports Illustrated's FanNation to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams during his time in school. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts, combined with his excellence in the classroom, earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time across multiple platforms, primarily serving as a credentialed Clippers beat writer.