At 41 years old, in his 23rd season, LeBron James was once again named to the All-Star Game. It was the 22nd time in his NBA career the Los Angeles Lakers star received such an honor, more than any other player in league history. However, it goes far beyond that.
Not only has James long surpassed all other peers in All-Star nominations, now the all-time great is lapping NBA legends. Today's convenient combination of propaganda has to do with Michael Jordan.
If you've been around any amount of basketball discourse in your life, you will know James and Jordan are the two names debated when it comes to who the greatest player of all time is. The conversation is virtually inescapable.
For those who want to argue that debate in James' favor, there's a fun new feather in his cap to boast about after his 22nd All-Star selection. Jordan fans are going to hate it.
LeBron surpassed MJ in All-Star appearances ages ago. His 22 appearances easily trump the 14 of the Chicago Bulls legend. Having just reached 22, James can fit a whole extra member of the Bulls dynasty in there. LeBron's 22 All-Star selections are more than what both Jordan (14) and Scottie Pippen (7) have combined.
LeBron’s longevity flex over Michael Jordan just grew even larger
What does this fun fact prove in the GOAT conversations? Ultimately, nothing much that both sides were not already in a heated debate over.
James obviously has the longevity factor tipped heavily in his favor over Jordan. The 90s superstar never really came close to the sustained excellence the modern day legend has delivered.
The arguments for those in favor of MJ have always relied on the peak outweighing the longevity. In all fairness, Jordan's best years are absolutely incredible so fair play.
The back and forth that goes on in these discussions always really comes down to a debate of subjective preferences dictating who the greatest of all time is. Depending on what you value more from a basketball career, LeBron and Jordan are both easy to support.
It's a touch of a fruitless endeavor. As much as some fans may try to tell you otherwise, the discussion is very much so open to interpretation and does not have a definitive winner.
For fans of LeBron, though, they just got another way to hit hard at the other side. In an effort to find objectivity in a subjective matter, that will feel like a big win for the dialogue.