Mike Malone: “It’s always an ongoing argument about who is the GOAT. Michael obviously is up there and is the greatest of all time. “There are not many Michael Jordans out there. I coached LeBron James for five years and have a great relationship with him. LeBron did not have the same mindset or killer mentality that Michael Jordan is supposed to have had. But LeBron James is arguably the greatest of all time as well… Michael Jordan was not just a great player. He would reach into your chest and pull your heart out if he had to win a game. You don’t see that really often. He had that killer mindset and brought it every single night. That’s why all of these many years later, he’s the greatest of all time.”
Despite there being no NBA games being played for the foreseeable future, Denver Nuggets head coach Mike Malone made headlines this week when he commented on ESPN’s ‘The Last Dance’ documentary on the 1990’s Chicago Bulls, and told USA Today some revealing reactions.
Malone, who was an assistant coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2005-2010, says his former player LeBron James didn’t have the ‘killer mentality’ that Michael Jordan had when it came to relentlessly cutting the throats of opposing teams in his path, not just physically but psychologically as well.
Malone, who has been the head coach of the Nuggets since 2015, said that LeBron is arguably the greatest player of all time, but said of Jordan:
‘Michael Jordan was not just a great player, he would reach into your chest and pull your heart out if he had to win a game.’
LeBron's Lakers and Malone's Nuggets could potentially meet in the postseason if the NBA season decides to continue. The Lakers currently have the best record in the Western Conference at 49-14, and the Nuggets are in third at 43-22.