Like Babe Ruth going from the Red Sox to the Yankees, Barry Bonds from the Pirates to the Giants or Greg Maddux from the Cubs to the Braves? Wayne Gretzky with the Oilers, King, Blues and Rangers? Peyton Manning with the Colts and Broncos, Joe Montanta with the 49ers and the Chiefs or even Reggie White from the Eagles to the Packers? How about Kareem going from the Bucks to the Lakers or Wilt playing for the Warriors, 76ers and Lakers?
Well I don't watch Baseball so I can't compare Babe Ruth or Barry Bonds to their contemporaries.
But LeBron James will be compared to the likes of Johnson, Jordan, Bryant, and Duncan all players whose part of the legacy is that their glory years was with one team.
You mentioned Gretzky, Jordan, and Manning all playing in different teams. But Gretzky didn't exactly ask for a trade and even when he was people still remember his greatest years was with the Dynasty era of the Oilers. I don't watch Football that much either but know what Manning meant to the city in my 5 months living in Indianapolis plus, as I recall, it was the Colts that released Manning after the year we was sidelined. Yet despite winning a ring in Denver his legacy is cemented as a member of the Colts. As for Jordan, I think it's safe to say people will remember his prime years winning 6 Championships with the Bulls than the two twilight years with Washington.
I think the difference with Lebron is that he actively sought to go to a new team twice. Very different circumstances from Gretzky, Manning, and Jordan.
Out of curiosity, where are you getting this idea the greatest players never changed teams during their greatest years?
And again with the excuses why Jordan doesn't have to abide by the standard LeBron and others do. It's so ridiculous.
When I think of the NBA from 2004-2017 I think of LeBron James. Why does that not count? Why does it count against LeBron because he was great with two different teams? Like, seriously, that's a terrible argument..."LeBron James cannot be as good as Jordan because LeBron was great on two different teams and Jordan was only great on one".
The arguments are just absurd.
I guess the better term besides great is legacy. The fact you will always remember Gretzky as an Oiler, Lemieux as a Penguin, Brady as a Patriot, Manning as a Colt, Jordan as a Bull, and Bryant as a Laker means they will leave a far more memorable legacy than Lebron.
Like I said nothing against LeBron. If I was a Heat or Cavs fan I would probably worship him as well. Especially if I was a Cavs fan who were dying to win a Championship.
