Patrick Ewing explains why he would pick Michael Jordan over LeBron: “He’s thinking he’s going to score 50 on you then he’s gonna pass”
Patrick Ewing competed against Michael Jordan from his college days to when he became a pro. If there was an adversary who knew MJ like the back of his hand, it was Ewing, who entered the NBA one season after MJ and played in the same Conference as him.
So when the No.1 overall pick of the 1985 NBA Draft was interviewed by Dan Patrick in 2016, Ewing chose Michael Jordan over LeBron James when Patrick asked him to pick between the two all-time greats.
“LeBron James is a great player in this era,” said Ewing. “But he is not Michael Jordan. You know it’s two different animals. Michael Jordan was a killer, an assassin. LeBron is more like of a facilitator; he’s one of the guys that you’re gonna give the ball, and he’s probably thinking shoot first before pass where Michael you give him the ball, he’s thinking he’s going to score 50 on you then he’s gonna pass.”
Ewing would also rather have MJ as a teammate
Aside from picking MJ over LeBron, Ewing was also asked which of the two he’d rather have as a teammate. And not surprisingly, the Knicks’ Hall of Fame center picked his Dream Team teammate for apparent reasons.
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“The bottom line is, as players, we want to win, Ewing added. “We always equate basketball to war. We always talk about the foxhole. Even though it’s nothing like war, you know when you have somebody in your foxhole, you want to know if they have your back. And not to say that LeBron would not have your back, but I know what Michael brings to the table. And I would definitely would rather him.”
Ewing played MJ in 70 total games, including 27 in the playoffs. Jordan won 49 times, including 19 during the postseason. Jordan’s Bulls won all five playoff series against Ewing’s Knicks, so he knew what MJ brought every single game. They were also teammates in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, where the Dream Team went 8-0 and won the gold medal by beating their opponents by an average winning margin of 44 points.
Kobe was the closest
According to Ewing, giving the title of greatest ever to one player is tricky because there are different eras. But for him, there was no doubt that the greatest in his era was MJ. And if there was someone who came closest to Jordan, it was Kobe Bean Bryant.
“Michael Jordan was the best player, the greatest player in my era. There’s been a lot of great players in this league, and it’s hard to give one player that best-ever crown but all I can say is Michael Jordan was the best player in my era. And I haven’t seen anybody else; Kobe I guess came the closest to him. LeBron is great, but he is not Michael Jordan.”
Ewing talked to Patrick eight years ago. A lot has happened since their conversation. LeBron left Cleveland for the second time in 2018, and two years later, he won a fourth NBA ring with the L.A. Lakers. Last year, James overtook Kareem as the NBA’s scoring leader, and on March 2, 2024, James became the first player in NBA history to score 40,000 career points. It would be interesting to see if Ewing still feels the same way about MJ, Kobe, and LeBron.
”I’m going to dunk it in his face” – Michael Jordan’s promise to Patrick Ewing before the 1986 Christmas game
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CHICAGO BULLSPATRICK EWINGNEW YORK KNICKSMICHAEL JORDANLEBRON JAMES
BY SHANE GARRY ACEDERA
Shane has been writing online sports articles since 2013. If he isn’t telling basketball stories on BN, he’s just chillin’ at home with his wife and three Golden Retrievers named Ranger, Horry, and Fisher.
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