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Dwyane Wade: “not possible” for LeBron James to surpass Michael Jordan

By Bobby Hallinan

Mar 19, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) talks with Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade (3) during the second half at American Airlines Arena. The Heat won 122-101. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 19, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) talks with Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade (3) during the second half at American Airlines Arena. The Heat won 122-101. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dwyane Wades says it’s impossible for his friend and former teammate, LeBron James, to surpass Michael Jordan’s legacy.

In an interview with ESPN, newly minted Chicago Bull Dwyane Wade said that “it’s not possible” for his friend and former teammate LeBron James to surpass the legacy of former Bulls and Wizards great Michael Jordan. Said Wade of Jordan’s imprint on the game: “You can’t go past it. How can you? That’s as great as it gets, man.”

This summer, James brought the Cleveland Cavaliers, the team that drafted him in 2003 from nearby Akron and St. Vincent-St. Mary High school, it’s first ever NBA title. It was his third world title overall, and as the first major professional sports championship won by a Cleveland team in over 50 years it cemented his place in the pantheon of the NBA’s greats. On an individual level, James has also won four NBA MVP awards.

With all that said, Wade is likely right about the impossibility of James bettering Jordan as far as legacies go. Jordan came into the league at the perfect time for shaping fan perception; it was easy for a player of his stature and magnetism to get on camera when he wanted to, and even easier to stay off camera and outside of the public eye when he didn’t.

Michael Jordan’s career arc was also Hollywood perfect: he hit a championship-winning shot at North Caroline, got passed over by a couple teams in the draft, came up short against the bullying Bad Boys Detroit Pistons a couple times before getting over the hump, then never lost the last game of the season again, walking away on another last-second championship clincher, this one against the Utah Jazz in 1998 (he did come back for a stint in Washington, but everyone pretends that never happened).

As great as LeBron James has been, his resume does have some blemishes. No matter how foolish the logic of granting more leeway for losing earlier in the post-season, his 3-4 NBA Finals record looks average next to Jordan’s 6-0 mark, and Jordan also avoided PR gaffes like the infamous 2010 Decision at all costs. Also, though James is a marketing giant in his own right, he’s following a trail blazed by Jordan, in the brand made famous by him.

Still, this should not be read as Wade disparaging his pal, just situating Michael Jordan as the pinnacle to which all players must aspire: “The only thing you can do it tie [Jordan’s legacy] … The only thing you can do, like I said, is be A-1, A-B. There’s no way higher.”

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