Consider Brooklyn Nets point guard Spencer Dinwiddie the spokesman for the disrespect of current players from folks who think, in light of the new Michael Jordan documentary “The Last Dance,” that the best players of the here and now could not dominate in the 1980s and 90s.
At the end of the week, ESPN’s Michael Wilbon, a Jordan confidant, and his partner Jalen Rose, who was part of the only team to push Jordan’s Bulls to a Game 7 in 1998, both suggested that not even LeBron James or Kevin Durant could be dominant players in the Jordan Era. Dinwiddie questioned their state and went on to discuss what make the players of today, including LeBron, so great.
Dinwiddie’s look is a lot more nuanced and holistic when it looking at the history of the game. And he brings up a rarely heard argument that Kareem has the GOAT basketball resume, but that Jordan had the more dominant peak. But it’s hard to disagree that when looking at the tape, there is no better athlete in the game’s history, or perhaps a greater basketball mind, than LeBron James.
However, despite Dinwiddie’s efforts, the arguments will only continue. Episodes 5 and 6 of “The Last Dance,” are set to air tonight on ESPN and will hit Netflix internationally tomorrow.
