Adeayo Joseph Adetunji
The reason they all want to “Be Like Mike”
Michael Jordan is not only the greatest but the most enthralling basketball player of all time. Not only did he have other-worldly athleticism along with world-class skill he was remarkable because he combined it with the killer instinct mentality that makes him surpass every other basketball player that ever played the game. Back in 1991, Gatorade aired a commercial “Be Like Mike” this one-minute ad of Michael Jordan highlights and drinking Gatorade has turned into the most memorable ad for all hoopers. This made everyone want to be like Micheal Jordan and it came out at perfect timing since Michael Jordan just finished winning his first NBA championship in 1990-1991, SO his
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This doesn't relate directly to basketball but it does relate to their GOAT Debate. When an athlete is considered a GOAT they have an impact on their sport and the culture surrounding it. LeBron has been the face of the league for the last 20 years and while carrying that load Like Forbes describes in their LeBron James profile, LeBron has always tried to expand his brand even outside of basketball like his very own school that he founded in 2018 that will surely send a whole generation of kids to college. This is part of James' greatness in general even if it doesn't directly impact his on-the-court play. (Forbes, 2023) But on the flip side, Micheal Jordan was the one who created the Basketball culture and put it in the spotlight. The Air Jordan 1 Basketball shoe dropped in 1985 and it kickstarted the sneaker culture which has gotten to the point where the resale sneakers industry (which comes from apps like Goat, Stockx, and Flight Club) has gotten up to 6 billion dollars. (Statista, 2019) Besides when it comes to on-the-court Micheal Jordan still has LeBron James beaten. In Basketball, there are two sides to the game, offense, and defense, and even though they excel at both there are edges one has over the other. As for Offense Micheal Jordan is the more prolific player with his 10-scoring titles compared to LeBron’s 1, Meaning there were 10 seasons where Micheal Jordan averaged the most points in the NBA. Not only does Micheal Jordan average the most points for a career in NBA history at 30 ppg (points per game) he also averages the most points in the playoffs and Finals. But for LeBron the only great offensive stat he has over Jordan is the fact that he is the all-time Leading Scorer for the NBA with 38,450 points scored, this is due to his dominance over his 20-year career so far whereas Jordan only played 15 years in the NBA. As for Defense,