Lakers head coach JJ Redick sat down with 15-time all-star and host of The Big Podcast with Shaq on Sunday to discuss a myriad of topics related to Redick's coaching style and vision for the Lakers organization.
At one point, the conversation veered off into a breakdown of current Lakers players, inevitably leading to the all-too-common debate about LeBron's greatness. JJ shook his head, frustrated by the topic:
"I have refused. People say, 'You said this in 2017 when you played against him.' I was playing against him, of course I said he was the best player ever. I refuse to get into the GOAT debate. I don't care. They didn't play against each other [Michael Jordan and LeBron James]. I don't care. What makes him great is the fact that he's done it now for 21 years at the highest level."
Redick's analytical mind was on full display, as he couldn't help but breakdown LeBron and Jordan's career stats:
"OK, one guy averaged 35 a year. LeBron's never averaged 35 a year. Guess what, he's averaged 25 a year for 20 straight years. No one's had more than 15 of those years. He's a scorer. But, again, it looks differently. He plays differently. It's all in the eye of the beholder."
Shaq nodded. As a former NBA MVP, he knows how complicated it is to compare one player's greatness to another's. While he agrees with Redick that comparing the two is an exercise in futility, as a former teammate, he had high praise for LeBron:
"Lebron's great to me because he's always done it the right way. When I played with LeBron, he was the greatest young leader I've ever seen."
While Shaq and LeBron only played together for one season with the Cleveland Cavaliers (2009-2010) that was enough time for the big man to see why LeBron was going to be a standout player:
"I'm such a dominate personality, like I'm the guy who no matter what team I'm going to, this is my team. When I got there [Cleveland], he just ran it so perfectly: the way he treated the guys; the way he treated the organization; the way he was coached; the way he looked out for guys—I didn't even have to do nothing."
Regardless of how impressed Shaq was with LeBron's leadership, he takes issue with the entire concept of comparing LeBron and Michael Jordan, believing that the dialogue is too limiting:
"The only thing I don't like about the conversation is that they don't put my boy's name in it [Kobe Bryant]... That's like saying, 'What are the best luxury cars out there, Lexus or a Beamer?' You've got to put the Mercedes in there, too."
Redick nodded in agreement:
"Look, I think it's fair to say there are different tiers of greatness. I think it's fair to say, 'who's on your Mount Rushmore? Who's your four greatest? Who's your five greatest. Who's your ten greatest'... We're nitpicking. By the way, a lot of times we're comparing eras, we're comparing different rules."
In keeping with Redick's data-driven personality, the Lakers coach broke down Jordan's career using some hard numbers:
"Everynone talks about the context of this era... The Dallas Mavericks were added as the 23rd team in 1981. Michael Jordan was drafted. During his heyday, six teams were added to the NBA. There were 90 players added to the NBA. Does that not water-down the regular season to a degree?"
Whether you agree with Redick or not, you've got to respect the fact that he's always going to give you his honest opinion.
Related: Stephen A. Smith Doubts LeBron's Ability to Win a Championship with the Lakers
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