Lakers News: Teammate Of LeBron James, Michael Jordan Explains Leadership Differences
The debate in the NBA about who is the greatest of all time has been an ongoing discussion for years now. For the longest time, it was assumed that former Chicago Bulls guard Michael Jordan was the greatest, but in recent years Lakers forward LeBron James has made his claim for the throne.
It has taken a lot for people to acknowledge James as the best player ever, but what he has accomplished does add up. And if you add in the fact that he is still playing in the NBA, at a very high level, it makes his case even stronger.
But what would the two men’s leadership style? How do they compare?
Well, not many players were able to play with both stars, but one man did. And that would be former center Brendan Haywood.
He played with Jordan while on the Washington Wizards, and with James during the final year of his career when James returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers. When Haywood was recently asked by Max Van Auken of The Max Van Auken Podcast about the two players' contrasting leadership styles, he got honest about it:
“As a player, you’re going to relate more toward LeBron’s approach because it’s softer. MJ’s approach is a little more, a little bit more, a little harder. His approach is, so that’s real. MJ’s approach is uncut, it’s raw, it’s in your face. It’s listen, do your damn job. If not, I ain’t got no time for you. You still want the job to get done but I saw LeBron trying to coach Kyrie up”
It’s been widely known that Jordan was a little more uncut than James ever has been with his teammates. James wants to coach his guys up to be the best versions of themselves, while Jordan just expects them to know better.
It’s interesting to hear someone who has played with both of them speak on this, however. It shows the contrasting styles that both men have, but that they both reached the mountaintop going in different directions.
Each player controls the locker room in their own way, and it has worked for both guys. Both have seen major success on the court, and they both know how to get the job done in their own ways.
There is no right way to lead a team because it all comes down to how the rest of the locker room is. But each player that signs up to play with a player like this, knows what is at stake.
Both James and Jordan are interchangeable as the greatest player of all time, depending on who you ask. They both have brought a ton to the game and have left it much better than when they first arrived in the NBA.
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